Target
by Mardigny
Summary: Joey is employed by a contract killing agency that calls upon him whenever they have cleaning up to do. But how will he react when he discovers his next victim? Rated T for language; Puppyshipping; translation of the French "Cible" by supersophieuh.
1. New Mission

**AN: **This is NOT my story! I was lucky enough to get the green light to translate this story, which happens to be one of my favorites here on , from the original Belgian author supersophieuh. I'm extremely honored to host it on my page, and remember, my translation might not fit the French exactly right, but I tried to make it sound more natural in English than the literal French. As such remember that I didn't come up with the concept or anything. So you can blame me for my faults, but just a tad. :D

**AN #2: **THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Supersophieuh for allowing me to do this! T'as aucune idée si heureux que je me trouve maintenant en écrivant ces mots-ci! Et si tu trouves quelque chose que tu veux que je refasse dis-moi... j'aurais dû poser si tu voulais voir le chapitre avant qu'il ait devenu public. .

* * *

**TARGET**(1)

_English translation of_

**CIBLE**

_by ~Supersophieuh~_

_Tranlsated by ~Mardigny~_

_

* * *

_

CHAPTER ONE

New Mission

It was a somber room. You could only see the walls that seemed engulfed by the darkness with some difficulty, giving the strange impression that the room was floating in the middle of

nothingness. The curtains were pulled and the only source of light was a small office lamp barely able to project misshapen shadows within its six-foot radius. But he wasn't scared; he

was used to it now.

The armchair he was sitting in was quite comfortable but he didn't care. He didn't like being here. All he wanted was the other man to arrive so he could get all of this over with.

His wish was quickly fulfilled. The door opened and a man took his place behind his desk, facing the armchair.

"Hello, Joey. I see you've certainly received my message."

Joey didn't bother to respond verbally or by lifting his head.

"I hope you didn't wait too long for me."

"I don't care. Is this a new mission?"

"Of course!"

"When and where?"

"Thursday the 18th, in three days. It'll take place at the Domino airport. The target will arrive on the 10:50 PM flight from New York. You'll easily find a place where you can keep an eye on

him. But pay attention to security. All the details are in here."

The man handed him an envelope which he accepted and placed on his lap without looking at it.

"Joey, I know it's how you do things, but are you sure about this? This is _big _game this time. You should prepare for your job in a more complete manner, taking everything into account. It's

not really my business, but yourapproach doesn't satisfy everyone's tastes. Some people find that you take things too lightly and that you'll end up causing yourself trouble... and that could cause _us _some trouble…."

Joey looked at him contemptibly for a moment. They didn't understand anything, did they?

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I've never let you down and I'm not gonna start now. If you're through, I'll be going now."

Without waiting for a response, he got up, took the envelope and moved for the door. He had placed his hand on the handle when the other man spoke again.

"I hope you're telling the truth. I don't need to tell you the consequences if you should fail…"

"You give me a mission. I do the mission. You leave me the fuck alone, and THAT'S ALL!"

With these words, he left, slamming the door brutally behind him.

~ X X X ~

Once he got back to his apartment, Joey immediately went into his room and placed the envelope on his nightstand before stretching himself out on the bed.

No, he wouldn't open the letter before Thursday. He wouldn't even touch it. But it wasn't because he was too arrogant; it was because he _couldn't_.

But they didn't understand that. They didn't understand that and they never could.

Quite simply, he couldn't bear to see the photo. To see the face of the person you would have to kill... it made him nauseous. If he did so he wouldn't be able to sleep; their visage would

haunt every second of every night. So he didn't want to know.

They wouldn't be a man or a woman, neither young nor old, neither rich or very rich (because, of course, it's always rich people who want to get rid of other rich people), neither a blond or

a brunet, neither single nor in love...

That person wasn't a human being, just a mission.

However, he couldn't prevent himself from asking who exactly the mission would be.

* * *

(1) This is the literal French translation. I like the title "On Your Mark" though for an English version, but hey, just stickin' to what was prescribed to meh. :D


	2. Execution

And...here's chapter two of my "Cible" translation!

**Disclaimer**: Yu-Gi-Oh! is not mine (or ever shall be) and neither is the story of Target/Cible (or ever shall be). I'm just practicing my French.

* * *

2. Execution

10:30.

The moment was approaching. Joey had been in place for a while, and he was finally ready - he had, first of all, cautiously scanned over the place, paying particular attention to where the

surveillance cameras were placed. He now knew the airport like the back of his hand – where people usually hung out, where people avoided, the number of and location of all of the

security personnel and, most importantly, the emergency exits. His equipment was already set up on a sort of terrace overlooking the huge lobby, where the passengers of the 10:50 flight

would _not _be late.

By having consulted the gigantic information screens, Joey knew that his plane was a private one. That meant that, yes, it really was "big game" like the other man had claimed, and he

saw now the commotion taking place below him. After having evacuated the area of civilians, a group of twenty armed guards were now busily scanning every inch of the place.

_My god, these guys are so incompetent!... How much are they paid for this shit? _Joey couldn't help but ask himself. He saw that they were taking the time to inspect the floor without even

looking to see if a window or some other high place could represent a potential danger. Okay, so "his" terrace looked seemingly abandoned (by the amount of debris and dust around him)

and _was _really high up, but still. _Shit, I'm starting to think like Kaiba or something, that sucks… besides it makes my job easier so stop complaining! _

10:45. He couldn't wait any longer; those fucking private aircraft were never late. He _had _to open his envelope. He tore off the seal that closed it and gently pulled out the document that it

contained. He glanced at the photo on the first page and froze in place. It was Seto Kaiba.

_No…. that's impossible…._

Actually, as he thought about it a bit, it was very possible. In fact it seemed almost logical. After all, it's always people with tons of money or people doing something behind the scenes

that someone wants to have rid of. Nothing could be said about Kaiba doing anything illegal (even if Joey had suggested the contrary, just to make him mad), but he was publicly notorious

and was very, very, VERY rich, and he was certainly hated by a large number of people. But Joey had never thought about that. He'd never thought about doing his job on someone he

knew. Above all, not on _him_.

Just in case, he looked at the name below the image. There was no mistake; it was definitely Kaiba. In the following pages there was information on him as well as his security guards as

well as the airport floor plan. But Joey didn't feel like reading. He couldn't take his eyes off the photo.

Noise in the lobby brought him out of his thoughts. They had arrived. He forced himself to look up his heart began to beat faster. He tried to calm himself down...

He would have truly wanted to be able to do something differently. But he didn't have a choice.

Crouching down next to his gun, he forced himself to look into the sight, equipped with a powerful zoom thanks to which he could very clearly see the CEO's head. He had exactly the same

expression that he had in the photo – the same expression as always – a profound and total boredom, which didn't prevent him from always looking dangerously sexy-

_I can't think about that. __Now's not the time. Gotta think about nothin'. Just gotta breathe. It's not Kaiba ! It's a mission ! It's not Kaiba ! It's not Kaiba ! It's not Kaiba ! It's not Kaiba ! _

He took a big breath and pulled the trigger. There was a gunshot.

Joey froze, hardly daring to breathe.

_Missed…I… I missed him…H-how could I have missed him? _It was extremely odd. At the crucial moment his fingers hadn't responded any longer. That never happened to him. He didn't ever,

_ever _miss. Anyone. But apparently, like normal, Kaiba made everything complicated.

_What should I do ? __What _can _I do ? _After his fingers, his head was now leaving him.

_Try again…. that's it, I have to try again! _His hands were already on the gun. But as soon as he tried to clutch the trigger, they immediately resumed their shaking. He could have argued that

it was idiotic of him and that he had to muster all of his strength to stop them; but it wouldn't work. In fact the only effect it had was to amplify the vibrations, which began to spread

throughout his body.

It was too much. He had to stop. It was fucked up by now anyway. He had waited too long and now the target was no longer in sight – his bodyguards had surrounded him, preventing

Joey from having a good view of him. Moreover, all of the guards were beginning to spring into action and began to cluster near where the gunshot had originated. Luckily for Joey, they

seemed to not really know _what _to do and stood there looking at each other stupidly.

"What are you waiting for? Catch that man, don't let him get away! What do you think I pay you for?" screamed Kaiba, who seemed far more furious than traumatized by the assassination

attempt.

Still confused, Joey jumped to his feet and got ready to leave. He couldn't be bothered to deal with the heavy , cumbersome equipment. Anyway, it was specially made to be able to be

abandoned in cases of urgency – it had no serial number or trace at all that would allow it to be traced back to _them_. There was, however, one thing he could not forget.

_The envelope, where's the envelope? _The almost-incriminating document in his hand, Joey bolted for the door.

~ X X X ~

Seto Kaiba was waiting, comfortably seated inside of his limousine, when a man came up to the car to give his report.

"So?"

"So…well…we lost him…" said the guard as he stepped up to the car door as it cracked open.

"I should have known. What I'm asking myself is what pathetic excuse you're going to make up to justify your screw-up."

"I…am sorry, Mr. Kaiba. We did everything possible, but apparently this person was a professional-"

"And what are _you_?"

"He…he was very well prepared. He knew the place better than we did, and he was too fast. And seeing as he got off to a head start…"

"Just say it: he's better than you. If he didn't want to kill me I would hire him to throw you back into shape!"

The poor pan didn't know what to do with himself.

"Well, luckily, there wasn't anything serious-"

"Fantastic. Thanks a lot to you _all_. Now leave me, because I've heard enough and have other things to do!" He shut the door in a rage and ordered his driver to start the car.

Once it was on its way, the guard gave a huge sigh of relief. Well, he hadn't done too badly. Kaiba had fired people for doing less.

The CEO himself thought, thinking back on it, he had been far too forgiving. He didn't know why but he wasn't against the fact that his men had let the killer escape. It was certainly due to

the turmoil and loss of time; otherwise, there would have been an arrest. And at that exact moment, all Kaiba wanted was to get home as quickly as possible.


	3. A Visit to Make

**AN: **This chapter was HARD to translate, only because of the last part where I couldn't tell where anybody was in relation to anyone else. o.O Hopefully I interpreted everything , and Super Sophie wants me to tell everyone that even though she wrote the story, the idea belongs to her sister, who is on this site under the pseudonym Yatsumi Kumokami. (Yat for short). So I thank BOTH of them now!

**Disclaimer: **This chapter belongs explicitly to the BELGIANS (supersophieuh and her sister, Yatsumi Kumokami) and to the JAPANESE (Kazuki Takahashi), but not anyone else.

* * *

3. A Visit to Make

Joey painfully climbed up the stairs that led him to a door he knew all too well. He was _really _in an abysmal mood. After an uneasy nap, he had woken up still completely tired and was then

_quite _annoyed when he found an envelope in his mailbox a little later – a completely blank one, without an address, a stamp, or postmark. They always sent out their messages this way.

Inside, like normal, there was nothing but a piece of paper with the time of the next rendez-vous written upon it. He had been expecting a letter like this, but not this quickly. Apparently,

nothing seemed to escape them.

He was content enough to not find anyone in the hallways. This type of news always went around at an incredible speed and he could easily bet that all of the "service" already knew.

Only today, Joey was less willing than normal to take the accusatory glances and the hypocritical conversations. He moved rapidly towards the door, and turned the handle.

Walking into the room, he was surprised to see his superior already there, sitting behind his desk. That never happened – and so far as he could tell, this couldn't possibly be a good sign.

The man didn't say a word as Joey closed the door behind him and went to sit in his chair, like normal. A quasi-total obscurity stilled filled the place; even the curtains, permanently pulled

shut, seemed dull. It was hard to believe that it was only nine in the morning.

Several seconds of silence followed the blond's arrival. The grave looks that the man in front of him was giving, however, indicated that they wouldn't last too long-

"Can you tell me what _that _was?" he asked in a tone that was a little bit too calm.

"I…um…"

"I believed that you never missed your target, that, no matter what the mission, you would get it done, neatly and cleanly? So tell me what happened!"

What had happened… Joey would have really liked to know ! Not knowing how to respond, he simply stayed quiet.

"You know him, don't you ?"

"What?"

"Seto Kaiba. You know him don't you? We have a very efficient intelligence service that works twenty-four hours a day. Not only did you both attend the same public high school, you both

participated in a certain number of duel monsters tournaments together. Are you going to pretend otherwise?"

"No, I mean, but I don't see what- "

"I can understand that it isn't easy to pull the trigger on someone you know. Above all if you've had the ability to become close… friends, perhaps?"

"NEVER!" Joey shouted. "YES, I KNOW HIM, AND I HATE HIM! I'VE ALWAYS HATED HIM, AND OVER TIME I'LL HATE HIM MORE!"

A bit surprised by the violent reaction, the other man continued.

"Well, in that case, it shouldn't be a problem! You should have taken up the mission with pleasure."

Joey had to make a superhuman effort to not thrust his fist into the other man's face. If hate were a sufficient motive to kill, it would have been a _long _time since the man would have been

dead! However, he tried to control himself and follow the rest of the conversation.

"However, you _missed_! You let him leave that airport alive!"

"That didn't have anything to do with me! That weapon was jacked up!"

"…The weapon."

"Exactly! If you give me defective equipment, you can't be all surprised when you don't get your results!"

"How unfortunate, then, that the police confiscated it. We'll never know what went wrong with it now…"

The sarcasm in his voice didn't escape Joey.

"You don't believe me?" he said, almost aggressively.

"Yes, of course we do! What reasons do we have to _not _believe you?"

Silence from Joey.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. It won't be a problem for you to finish this mission ?"

"What?"

"Let me remind you that your target is still alive, and you need to fix that situation with the greatest urgency. You have until Sunday at midnight. What do you say?"

"I…I…"

"Listen, Joey, Kaiba's been damned anyway. We have a client that has demanded his death without the slightest delay, and he will be satisfied. It's how this house is run; we owe

ourselves to respect if we want to keep our reputation. Now, whether it's you or someone else that does it…. if you fuck this up again, I'll probably give the mission to someone else. I

know that plenty of people would be happy to do it. After all, a billionaire… they don't pop up every day, and that works a bit of magic on a company such as ours. As you should already be

aware of, not everyone is as precise and expeditious as you are, and his death risks being a bit less pleasant…. it's up to you to make a decision."

Joey took a few seconds to think before solemnly responding.

"I started this mission, I'll finish it. It's my job. Nothing will stop me."

"I'm glad to hear that. So, we've decided that your target stays the same. But this time your location hasn't been prepared for you. You have three days to find the right place and the right

moment and finish the job. And don't worry, I'll personally ensure that the weapons you're given will be inspected twice to make sure they aren't the object of any other failures."

"Thanks. Can I go now?"

"Yes, please do. You have work to do, after all!"

Like the last time, Joey was ready to open the door when he was interrupted.

"You've never deceived us and I dare believe that you wouldn't start with this mission, Joey. It's you who said it! You know what you have to do!"

Like the last time, the door was opened and roughly slammed behind him.

~ X X X ~

On the other side of the door, three people suddenly straightened up and did their best to give the obviously false impression to Joey that "they were just walking by" and "of course they

weren't in the middle of trying to hear the conversation through the door."

One of the group members (who was wearing really ugly glasses) opened the door again and moved directly towards the man behind the desk, deciding to ask him the question directly.

"So, that's it? You took back the case?"

It was clear that he was avidly expecting a "yes". That gave Joey, who could still hear him, an urge to vomit.

"Everything went very well. He's keeping the case."

"Oh," the other man responded, a bit crestfallen, before unceremoniously rushing past and pushing a Joey eager to leave the building.

Yes, he knew exactly what he had to do.

* * *

Please leave reviews! I know you like adding this to your favorites and alerts (trust me, I've gotten plenty of "incriminating" emails) but I can't translate better or send Sophie feedback if you don't tell me! :D (Actually, I think her English is good enough that she could probably just read the comments anyway... o.O) And of course, hopefully something constructive, not just comments of adoration or flaming.

ALSO remember that even though this story is on my profile, it's not my story, so if you're going to yell at ME about anything, make sure it's about the translation or the formatting or something that doesn't have to explicitly do with the story or plot or pairing, which belongs to supersophieuh. Kthxbye~


	4. Goodbyes

Yay, another chapter of my translation of Cible! It's fun and I know I did a small goof-up in the last chapter, but the gist of it was essentially the same, so according to supersophieuh I'm still okay. Good *wipes sweat away*

**AN**: I don't own this chapter or this fic or the series which this fic concerns. I own nothing but the ability to post fanfiction and translate it, and maybe write something that'll be as popular as this is someday. (Seriously, everyone reads this even though I didn't write this! The popularity of Puppyshipping is frightening.)

* * *

4. Goodbyes

Saturday night at the Kaibas', everything was calm. It was relatively late when the CEO of KaibaCorp decided to retire to his bedroom. His brother had gone to bed a while beforehand and

he himself was preparing to have a good night's rest.

He entered the room and was beginning to undress when a noise from behind caught his attention. He whirled around to see-

"Wheeler?"

"Hey, Kaiba. Surprised to see me?"

Yes, Kaiba was surprised. He had thought he might have had a heart attack… if there was one thing he wasn't expecting, it was to discover Joey Wheeler in his sleeping quarters, never

mind that he hadn't heard him come in and he didn't have any idea how he could have entered his house when it was so well protected. But of course, he did all that he could to keep his

countenance. It was out of the question to let him realize how troubled he was.

"May I know what you're doing here, exactly? There's places far more suitable for you. A kennel, for example."

"I doubt you're too happy to see me, but try to hide your joy." Joey felt anger broiling in his veins, but now wasn't really the time to start a confrontation. "I came to talk to you about

something serious. You have to leave. As quickly as possible!"

"You've left your head in the microwave too long, Wheeler, because it's screwed with what's left of your brain! If you believe you can get rid of me that easily-"

"This isn't some sort of joke, Kaiba! You have to leave if you want to stay alive. Someone wants your dead body and they know how to get it!"

"Tons of people want me dead. That never stopped me from going to bed."

"But not all of them call up a killing agency to make their plans happen." As he spoke, Joey opened the small briefcase he had carried with him and took from it a bundle of documents that

he then threw on the bed, next to Kaiba. "See for yourself."

They had to do with the airport job. Normally once a mission was over, Joey would give the documents back to his employers so they could busy themselves with destroying them. But not

having quite done exactly that last Thursday, Joey had kept them.

Kaiba looked at the first page for a few moments – the one where his photo could be seen – before looking up with a smug smile.

"Sorry, no can do."

"…_What_?"

"Actually, I'm flattered you have to have gone through hell and back to get this to look legitimate. But you don't seriously believe that you were going to get through to me, do you?"

"Kaiba, this isn't a joke! They really want to kill you! They've already tried. I know what happened at the airport-"

"Yeah, like everyone else who reads a newspaper or watches the news."

Joey began to become very, _very _pissed.

"You fucking idiot! Do you actually think I'm the kind of guy to joke around with something like this? You think I don't have anything _better _to do?"

As Kaiba stayed silent, he decided it was time to get serious. He took a revolver from out of his jacket and pointed it directly at the CEO. He fired three times, hitting the screen of his alarm

clock, a glass of water, and the lighbulb in the lamp on his nightstand. Finally, he shifted his attention back to Kaiba, who was looking at him now with wide eyes.

"You believe me now?"

"You…you're…"

"Yeah."

"That was you, the other night, wasn't it?"

"Look in the folder, you'll find all the details. Confidential information that I never could have had access to if this were all some idiotic joke."

Kaiba flipped through the pages, then closed the folder again.

"I don't see what this changes. They want me dead? They can try, but I won't let this go and I'm not running away!"

"So you're ready to risk your brother's life?"

"What…"

"You don't know who you're dealing with, Kaiba. This is a powerful organization with a faultless reputation. Everybody that they've targeted is dead. Nobody has ever escaped them.

Never! And they won't hold back. As long as you're here, you risk not only your own life but your brother's, too."

Joey paused to give Kaiba time to digest what he had said before continuing.

"If you want to keep yourselves alive, there's only one thing you can do: get the fuck out. Take your brother, some cash, and get on the first plane out of the country. Don't use your real

name, and don't use it ever again. They have contacts all over the world and they're always up to date on everything. You have to _disappear_. You have to find yourself some false papers

and start your life completely over. I'm not worried about you, I know what you can handle."

Kaiba took several seconds to weigh the pros and cons. Yes, he loathed the idea of having to slink away from those bastards, but no, he had no right to keep Mokuba in any danger. And

apparently, this organization represented a realistic menace.

"Fine. We're leaving tonight."

His decision made, he went to his brother's room to announce their departure and to ask him to pack his bags. He didn't need to wake him; the gunshots had already done that. (Mokuba

had already imagined that thieves were in the middle of ransacking the house and was asking himself what to do when his brother arrived.) Then, Kaiba went back to his own bedroom and began to bury some

things into a small suitcase. He was almost done when Mokuba knocked on the door.

"Seto? I'm ready…"

"Good, wait for me downstairs, I'll be there shortly."

He put two or three more pieces of clothing in his suitcase and shut it. He then turned towards Joey, who hadn't moved from the room.

"Consider us gone. I guess it's now that I leave you."

"Wait a minute," Joey interrupted him. "I… I have a favor to ask of you…"

"And why should I say yes?"

"I know that it hasn't always been sunshine and daisies between us, but for the last time you see someone you can do _something_. It'll be the only thing I will have ever asked of you."

"Fine. What?"

"It's…. my sister. You know her, right?"

"Not really, but I'd recognize her if I saw her."

"I'd like you…." Joey didn't really know how to phrase it. "I'd like you to take her with you."

Kaiba froze, feeling a heavy weight begin to press down on his chest.

"…Why?"

"I… ya know, I wanna make sure that… she doesn't run into trouble…"

Dead silence.

"And…and you?" Kaiba managed.

"Are you worried about me or something now, Kaiba? There's no reason, really. There's a rule in the organization that prevents blaming another member without solid proof, and I want to

take some precautions. They won't ever be able to prove that it was me. Anyway, they don't have any reason to think I'd have anything to do with your disappearance. I'm a good

groupie, they trust me and need me. Too important to try and mess with."

"So… why your sister?"

"It's…. it's stupid, really, but even if I don't have anything to fear, I… I'd feel better once she's far away. She doesn't know anything about any of this and I don't want her to... I know it's

useless and I'm making too big a deal out of this but I can't help it. You have a brother… you have to understand a little…"

"…I guess, yeah. I'll go get her." Kaiba snapped his suitcase shut and made for the door.

"Thanks. One more thing…"

"What now? You want me to take your goldfish?"

"No, it's just there's something I want you to give something to Serenity," Joey said as he shuffled through his briefcase. He soon found and took two envelopes out of it. "Ah, here they

are! Here, I want you to give her this one. Give it to her as soon as you see her, so she knows what to do. For this second one, you can't tell her about it. Not right away. She can't read it

before you guys are on the plane. It's very important, promise me!"

"Fine, I promise," Kaiba growled as he took the envelopes and shoved them directly into his baggage before opening the door.

He took a step into the hallway, but suddenly stopped, seemingly hesitant.

"Wheeler, why are you doing all this?"

"I… I don't know."

Kaiba began towards the stairs to join his brother who was waiting for him below, leaving Joey alone in the large room.

"Bye, Kaiba!" he yelled before Kaiba could leave earshot.

"Bye, Joey."


	5. Departures

Whee, it's Chapter the FIFTH! I realized I've been neglecting on mentioning some of the people who have been leaving comments, so I'll fix that:

**OtEpShAmAyA** - Thanks for the commentary, I'm sure supersophieuh has read them. I loved translating Kaiba in Chapter 2 near the end, that just fits him perfectly for me there, and personally I think he deserves to be angry after almost being killed. But generally he *does need to lighten up.

**kluna** - Thanks for being so avid! I think my pattern has settled into me updating this once every two days or so. At this rate the entire story should be up and running by December 10, about a month from now! :D It might be sooner or later than that, though.

**ShadowWolfDagger** - psh, yeah, it would. I love the part where he thinks Joey stuck his head in the microwave. Hah.

Anyway, supersophie told me to tell all of her anglophone fans that she thanks them for reviewing and that she's happy everyone finds it interesting. ^_^

This chapter is a bit shorter than the other ones so far, but I think they get longer again, so don't worry.

* * *

5. Departures

The previous night and following day had been horrific, but everything was _finally _ready. They were now in possession of their "new" identification papers (which they hadn't gotten too

legally) and an amount of hard cash decent enough to get onto a plane, bribe anyone that they might need to, and generally survive for a little before arriving in the place where they

would start their lives anew.

Seto Kaiba and his brother were now in the middle of doing the last thing that remained to be done: finding Joey's sister.

Serenity Wheeler could not imagine the events that were about to "upset" her Sunday evening inside-out when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened it to find, to her great surprise,

herself face-to-face with the CEO of the celebrated Kaiba Corporation. Of course, she had crossed paths with him at several tournaments and she had heard Joey talk about him (with

language that her good manners prevented her from repeating), but any relation stopped there.

"Serenity?"

'Ye-yes! What can I-?"

"Is anyone else home? A parent or…. someone?"

"…No, I'm alone. My mom's gone out but she shouldn't be back too late….if you…. you want to see her, you can come in and - "

"I'm fine, I didn't come to see _her_."

Awkward silence.

"Here," Kaiba said as he handed Serenity an envelope. She took and opened it, then began to read, at once recognizing her brother's handwriting.

"_Hey sis. Listen, I know this'll sound completely crazy to you but I want you to go with Kaiba immediately after you've finished reading this letter and follow him and not talk about this to anyone (not even mom!) It's very important!_

_Trust me, I'll explain it later_

_Joey"_

The letter left her more than just a tad perplexed, but she decided to follow her brother's instructions. He had to have his reasons.

"Can I… can I go pack some of my things?"

"Hurry up."

She disappeared down the hall and came back a few minutes later, a travel bag hanging under one arm.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

Kaiba then signaled for her to follow him into a small alley a bit further away, where a car was waiting for them.

_Why would a guy that was so rich and important travel in some junk heap like that? _Serenity asked herself. There was something apparently fishy going on with this story. But Joey had told

her to not ask any questions… besides, Kaiba didn't seem like the kind of person to give her answers. She climbed into the backseat, where a boy with, black hair was already waiting for

them.

"Hey Serenity! You remember me? Mokuba?"

"Hello, Mokuba."

Kaiba got in behind the steering wheel and started off, taking the route that was the shortest way to reach the airport. The journey took place in total silence.

Once they arrived, Kaiba undertook the responsibility of buying seats and sorting out all of the other problems. The first available flight left for Madrid, Spain. But that wasn't really that

important, anyway, because once they got there they would leave again for somewhere else in an attempt to completely cover their tracks. As far as Kaiba could remember, he had never

before traveled by commercial airliner like everyone else did. This would be a first.

The three of them then moved directly to the departure area, where they could do nothing but wait. Serenity looked around the area but couldn't find her brother; she had hoped that he

would be joining them just before they would get on the plane.

"Joey's not here?" she asked, despite herself.

"No," came Kaiba's glacial response. She understood from his tone that she wouldn't be getting any more information out of him.

He was acting like normal, completely cold and distant. Maybe more than normal; he was very calm.

_Joey's a big boy now, he knows what he's doing. It's none of my business! _But…

There was that envelope, the second one, which was in Kaiba's pocket still. He took it out and looked at it for a moment, thinking. He didn't know why, but he felt irresistibly attracted to it

couldn't stop himself from thinking about it. What was inside of it that was so secret? Probably some answers about these crazy circumstances, no doubt.

He needed to know. Serenity might not have the right to read it before they took off, but he wasn't Serenity, and personally, he hadn't promised Joey a damn thing. He ripped open the

envelope and took out what was inside.

"_Serenity._

_I'm sorry to tell it to you like this, but this is goodbye. __I don't know where Kaiba's taken you, but I want you to stay with him (I know I haven't said anything good on his part to you, but there _are _things you can trust him with.) Don't plan on ever coming back to Japan or on looking for me. It's useless._

_I promised you an explanation but I really can't follow through with that. Just know that I've gotten into a bad situation and that I need to face it head-on and put some order into all of this crap. I'll pull through._

_Good luck, and be happy no matter what you do. I don't want you to torture yourself over what's been going on, just try not to forget me and keep on living._

_I'm happy to have had you as my sister, thanks for everything_

_Love you_

_Joey"_

The paper crumpled up in Kaiba's hands.

_What. An. Asshole!_

* * *

Hope you like it, and keep leaving comments, I hear supersophie loves to read them! (Well, I _see_, based on our correspondence :D ) By the way, in the original version, Cible, this is about the point that the author got writer's block. So comment what you think will happen next! (Unless you read French, then you can just read it. In which case, why are you here? :P )


	6. Waiting

Chapter six everyone! This was a longer chapter, probably making up for the length of the last one, so it took me a while (Plus, along with the commentary, it's the first Target chapter with over 2,000 words!). As a general note I translated it a bit more freely this time, not anything that completely compromises the story, but I broadened by word choice while translating (using "think" instead of "believe"). But there's still the author's style roaming around... So we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, back to responding to comments:

**ShadowWolfDagger**: Your wishes are answered! The beginning is kind of slow though...

**BeserkerJoe**: Thanks, supersophieuh would be glad to read that. And now that you said that I can't stop picturing it either. O.O

**OtEpShAmAyA**: While I can say nothing bad ends up permanently affecting Joey or Kaiba by the end, I won't say whether any of them undergo anything else in the process. (There's still twelve more chapters - er, eleven, plus an epilogue.) Plus this chapter is cliffhanger!

**Disclaimer**: This story isn't mine, and neither is Yugioh. Never was, never shall be.

* * *

6. Waiting

It was crazy how the Kaiba mansion seemed immense, yet strangely empty, to Joey. After Seto and Mokuba's departure, he hadn't found anything better to do than to stay motionless inthe bedroom that his old enemy had just left. Well, "old enemy" wasn't really true considering the fact that Kaiba had called him by his first name in some sort of conciliatory attempt, but_ that _was only because they would never be seeing each other again. After a time that seemed like an eternity to the blond, he slowly began to move around.

And now? What was he supposed to do? He couldn't take the risk of doing anything until Monday. That would raise suspicion, and the point was to give the others time to leave the country and disappear without _them _noticing. While he waited, all that Joey could do was kill time for the next day and a half. And by Monday… by Monday, he would know.

To distract himself he decided to explore the mansion, which he had never been inside of beforehand. And he wasn't disappointed – the place was larger than he could have ever imagined. The rooms seemed to come one after the other without end, and Joey had to ask himself how Kaiba could possibly find his bedroom in what appeared to be a true labyrinth. Joey apparently wasn't used to these kinds of places – the dead silence, interrupted only by the echoing of his footsteps, put him ill at ease and reminded him that he was not at home here.

However, he had decided to stay until at least Monday. He didn't have anywhere else to go. He could have stayed back at the apartment, with his father, but this idea didn't make him too eager. Besides he couldn't be sure that he was even at home, and even if that were the case, he probably wouldn't notice his absence. No, Joey was firm on the idea of not going back home. Moreover, he was in a strategic location. Here, he could assure that no one noticed too early that the CEO and his brother had vanished.

_So_, he thought, _there's no reason not to eat here at least once and to live the life of a king!_

After a stop in the kitchen, Joey headed for the room where he strangely felt most at ease – Seto's bedroom – fatigue nagging him as he went. It was probably five or six times larger than Joey's, and the ceiling was twice as high.

_Shit, even his bed is three times bigger than mine. I hope it's comfy at least._

To verify his hypothesis, Joey decided that the best plan was to test it out.

_It's not like he'll need it anymore anyway…_

In the end he was obligated to admit that his belief was more than correct; so much more so that he decided to stay there and stretch himself out completely. For the first time that day, he took time to think about the events that had just happened. He had acted stupidly, and now was stuck in a hole without a real way of digging himself back out. However, somewhat incomprehensibly, his troubles mixed together to form a sense of… satisfaction. It was as if he knew he had done what he had to; the only thing to do. Anyway, he couldn't continue like this for long and it probably had to end someday-

The noise that had to have been a knock yanked Joey roughly out of his sleep (and put him into quite a foul mood.) Who was the imbecile who had the _very bad _idea of waking him up at this hour?

_What time is it anyway? _he asked himself as he rolled towards the nightstand to his left. _Shit…that's right… I shot his alarm clock…_

With some pain he recovered from the revelation and glanced at his watch.

_Six o'clock on the dot. Who could be stupid enough to start off the day this early?_

Whoever it was, the person seemed somewhat nonplussed when nobody opened the door to let them in, and began to beat on the door as if it were a tambourine while shouting something that Joey was too far away and too sleep-riddled to understand. He nevertheless came to the conclusion that it had to be one of Kaiba's employees who had come to ask for something. What would be more normal on a Monday morning?

_I always knew that that rich bastard was some sort of cretin, but this… it should be illegal to be up this early! _But what was legal and what wasn't legal wasn't really too high on Joey's list of priorities lately… In any case, he was happy to have remembered to put locks on all of the various entry points in the room yesterday. Otherwise, the person overexerting themselves on the door would have already come inside a long time ago, probably having some sort of key.

After several more minutes, the noises stopped; the individual had given up. Joey got up and moved towards the window to see a man dressed in a black tuxedo walk away from the house and get into his car. He would be the first, but not the last, visitor, that day. Another man, two women, and then a third man successively found themselves face-to-face with a shut door and all ended up more or less quickly turning on their heels and leaving the grounds. The different telephones in the house, also, seemed to be ringing and more and more often. Soon, the entire world would know about the disappearance of the president of KaibaCorp.

Around nine-o-clock the next day Joey heard the noise that indicated to him that it was over, and that the moment was coming. There was a _crash! _of shattering glass that shook the mansion, and then silence once more. But Joey knew they were coming. He had always doubted that it would come to this; he had just hoped for more time… He could have gone and met them to have the initiative when attacking, but that would have been useless. Even if he had the upper hand today, it would end up with them catching him sooner or later and he wouldn't have gotten anywhere. It was better to wait until they arrived, then try to reason. With a bit of luck he would end up telling them a story that held water, possibly. Maybe they would even believe his explanation. It was possible, wasn't it?

The bedroom door opened* and a young man entered, followed directly by two cronies. This surprised Joey slightly; he was expecting that they would send maybe one man, possibly two; but _three_?

"Hello, Joey… going alright?" asked him the first to arrive. Joey recognized him immediately: it was the one who had tried to listen through the door the day that Joey had been admonished, the one with the little round Harry Potter glasses with the blue and brown rim. Well, it wasn't surprising after all – the agent had never hid his desire to take up the Kaiba mission.

"I think you're being a bit too friendly with me. And can I know what you and your friends are doing here? I don't like being disturbed while I'm working!"

"Don't play that card with us, Joey. You know very well why we're here and that your 'work' officially ended last night at midnight… but I'm not here to school you."

"And what gives me the honor of having three spokesmen announce this to me?"

"Oh, that. It's simply because we've been eager to inherit the case, and our boss had the great generosity to put the three of us on the job. But they also gave us another mission, one that's less… normal."

"And that means?" Joey asked, hesitantly.

"Don't worry, we're not here to tell you how horribly you've done your mission and dirtied the name of our prestigious organization. No, we're only here to receive your report on your screw-up. As _we're_ taking over, all of the details that you can furnish us could be useful." The young man paused, waiting for Joey to speak. But he didn't.

"So?"

It was at that moment that Joey had to produce a perfectly prepared story justifying his actions and removing all suspicion. Unfortunately, he didn't have one like that. He had truly tried to look back, but nothing that he came up with ever seemed coherent enough to convince anybody, and he had ended up trying to come up with something the moment of.

"What do you want to know?" he said finally.

"Where is Kaiba?"

"I… I don't know."

"You don't _know_? You spent three days tracking him, you're lollygagging around in his mansion, and you don't know where he _is_? Are you _trying _to fuck with me?"

"It's the truth! I looked for him so that I could finish my mission, but he had already disappeared. So, I decided to wait here so I could finish when he got back. But he never did! He had to have suspected something after the airport."

"I don't believe so, no. According to my intelligence reports, he came back here after the incident and didn't show any signs of abnormal disposition towards any of his personnel. He was even seen in his office on Saturday even though nothing obliged him to do so. But wait, there's more! – And this morning, nobody saw or was able to reach him or his brother. Not at KaibaCorp, not at his school, _nowhere! _Gone!"

"He had to stay discreet in order to put all of his affairs in order before he left- "

"And how do you explain that an obstinate man who was always proud that he would never bow down to anyone suddenly decided to abandon his life two days after he was targeted by a bullet shot by people he didn't even _know_?"

"He had to… have somehow noticed the importance of the danger- "

"No, _I don't think so!_"

"But- "

"You wanna know what I think? I think that someone let him know just how much danger he was in."

Silence.

"Someone who was well informed. Someone, who for _some _reason or another, didn't want to see him die…"

Still, silence.

"You must know that I've received a certain number of prerogatives to set this mission straight. So, I'm going to ask you again one more time, and I recommend that you pay special attention to the answer you give me." As he spoke, the man with the glasses had come dangerously closer, and now took a gun from his coat and pointed it at Joey's head. "Think about it!" he snarled as he shoved the barrel against the blond's temple. "_Where. Is. Kaiba!_"

The question was followed by a third cumbersome lack of noise…

"Right here!" rang out a voice from near the door.

All eyes turned and remained frozen as they perceived Seto Kaiba, in person, in the door frame.

Joey was the first to regain the ability to speak.

"Kaiba! What the fuck are you-!"

"I think _I _should be the one asking the questions, Wheeler! This is my house, I don't have to justify myself. On the other hand, I'd really like to know exactly what the hell is going on in my bedroom!"

* * *

*What I don't understand is how they unlocked the door. Or maybe 'open' is a euphemism for 'break down'; that fits better with the cliffhanger twist at the end.

Oh, and that last sentence can be misinterpreted into something slightly resembling yaoi rather easily now that I look on it, so I don't know if that was supersophie's intent or it just ended up that way. It's amusing, though. :D

So, what do you think will happen next? It's a bit obvious, at least to me, but I'd like to hear some of your thoughts. R&R please!

EDIT: Again with the formatting problems. Thanks to Xana Vlec for letting me know. *Strangles document editor*


	7. Damages

Wow. This is late... But at least it's on the day I said it would be! It was a long Monday .

Chapter 7, everybody! If it seems rushed, it's because it was. It seemed REALLY long to me but the word count isn't too high, so I'm probably just imagining things.

* * *

7. Damages

For several moments, Harry couldn't make the slightest movement or say a single word. He felt confusion invade his system. Yes, there was no doubt about it, it was definitely Seto Kaiba who had just barged into the room. Only it wasn't possible! He didn't understand; he was _so _sure that Joey had betrayed them and had arranged for the CEO to leave the country without the slightest delay… was he mistaken? But if that were the case, why did Joey seem so surprised to see him arrive? Anyway, this wasn't the moment to be asking questions!

"You're lucky this time, Joey!" he hissed, before whipping the barrel of the gun from the blond's temple to point it in the direction of the CEO. Aiming directly for the heart, he was ready to fire when-

"NOOOO!" screamed Joey as he threw himself on the weapon, roughly knocking Harry asunder. He had gone too far to be stopped now. The gun went off and the bullet lodged into the wall, more than a meter from its target.

"What the fuck are you doing! Let go of it now!" But Joey had no intention of letting go of the weapon anytime soon. He clung to it with all of his strength in the hopes of wrenching it away from his adversary. But Harry was not keen to give in, and a ruthless fight broke out between the two men, kicking, punching, biting… _anything_.

Surprised by such a violent reaction from the blond and not knowing how to react, the three others watched them for a few moments with wide eyes until Harry got fed up with watching his helpers being useless while he was sweating, well, bullets.*

"What are you waiting for, you two? _Catch _him!" And like good boy scouts, they practically threw themselves to the side to their hurting boss.

"Not Joey, Kaiba! You have to get _Kaiba_! Remember our mission! I'll deal with this one!"

Agreeing wholeheartedly, the two lackeys turned on their heels; the one closest to the door was the first to pull out his weapon. He fired at Kaiba, who barely avoided being hit by leaping out of the room. Without a second to spare the two men spirited after him.

Joey would have liked to follow them and lend a hand, but Harry made that impossible. He was clinging onto him firmly and destabilized him to the point that they both ended up on the ground to continue their fight.

It took a while, but eventually Joey gained the advantage. Panicked by the reversal of his situation, Harry decided to call back the others for help. He didn't have the choice; he couldn't lose. Responding to his call, one of his acolytes soon appeared before the open door, gun in hand.

"It's not too early!" snapped the boss. "Go hurry up and kill him ! I can't hold this guy back for long!"

This wasn't a very good sign for Joey. Harry used all of his remaining power to hold him in place, and even if he had fought himself free he would never be fast enough to avoid the other man's weapon… maybe, if he flipped their positions, he could turn Harry into a human shield. It didn't sound like much, but it was worth a try. After all, it was his only hope.

Counting on the element of surprise, he was about to try his luck when he was cut off clean in his tracks – his foe had anticipated the attack and was trying to hold him in place just a few seconds more. _Damn it!_

Suddenly, he heard a great shattering noise, and the man with the gun collapsed like a lead weight.

"_Kaiba_!"

Yes, Kaiba, his hands holding what remained of what appeared to be a somewhat heavy vase, had re-entered the room. Apparently, he was working on his entries today.

Quickly, Joey finished off his fight with Harry – who was already at wit's end – knocking him unconscious with a nice punch to the face before turning towards the CEO.

"The other guy?"

"Sleeping like a babe." He was quite vexed to see the flash of astonishment in the blond's eyes. "Hey, just because I'm not an assassin doesn't mean I'm completely defenseless."

"If you say so," Joey responded indifferently. He got up then, in pain, silently swearing at Harry to whom he doubtlessly owed several nice bruises. And he couldn't forget to _finally_ take his weapon away from him, either. He had certainly deserved it! He had barely stooped down to retrieve it when a bullet whizzed straight behind him.

He shot up quickly to notice that the second man had reentered the room.

"Yeah, Kaiba, _definitely _like a baby," Joey snarled, more out of nervousness than anything else.

Two other shots sounded throughout the room, but luckily neither hit its target. The problem was that the room only had one exit – the one leading out into the hallway – in front of which now stood an armed man, making leaving impossible.

Kaiba was the first to react. Ignoring Joey's remark, he ran towards him, seizing his arm and dragging him along as he sped for the window.

"I hope you're not planning on going _through _it, Kaiba!"

Kaiba's response was to keep running.

"For your information, we're on the third floor here!"

"Got any better ideas, Wheeler?"

He didn't.

With a gigantic noise of shattering glass combined with that of several new gunshots, they passed through the windowpane and began their long fall, landing in a dense thicket of thorny bushes.

"Shit, and after the glass shards, _thorns_! Great!"

"They're _my _bushes, Wheeler, and they probably just saved your life!"

"You mean… you did that on purpose?"

"Some people think before they act."

A new round of gunfire put an end to their conversation; it was probably better _not_ to wait in a corner. Kaiba and Joey began to run across the grounds surrounding the mansion until they were out of the killer's range.

They went to the garage then to find a vehicle to take them as far away as possible.

"Only three cars?"

"No. Actually, the fourth one is undergoing repairs."

"I believe it," Joey remarked as he bounded into the closest automobile. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting the keys, they're all hanging on- "

"Never mind that, we don't have time!"

"And how will the car _start_?"

"Remember, I'm poor, and I'm also a trained assassin," Joey responded, tampering with several wires that he had magically pulled out from _somewhere_. Quite suddenly, the motor revved. "You getting in or what?"

Kaiba sighed and began to climb inside when he saw that Joey was in the driver's seat.

"I'll get in once you're out of my way."

"Hunh?"

"_Move _it, I'm driving!"

"Kaiba, we don't have time for this! I jumpstarted this hunk of metal, it's _me _who's driving!"

"Maybe, Wheeler, but it's _my _car, and you've already done enough damage as it is!" Having said this, he remorselessly shoved the blond into the passenger seat and threw himself behind the wheel.

He slammed on the gas and they began to speed briskly away from the property. Joey took the moment of 'peace' to ask the question that he was burning to ask.

"My sister? What'd you do with my sister? And Mokuba?"

"Right now they should be settling in to a nice little hotel in Madrid."

"_What_? All alone?" burst the blond.

"It's the best way for them to be safe and not arouse any suspicion. But don't worry, Mokuba's prepared for this type of situation. If something moreover should happen, I always have this." Kaiba then proceeded to pull a mobile phone from his pocket.

"What… is it?"

"It's a cell phone whose number and very existence are known only to my brother. He has its twin, which I alone can connect to." He held out the device to Joey. "You want to talk to your sister?"

Joey hesitated for a moment, then pushed the phone away.

"No? Just like I thought. You're too stiff to give her any explanations, right?"

The trip continued in a hostile and glacial silence.

Kaiba interrupted it only once.

"For your information, Wheeler, you'll pay for the car. And the lamp, and the alarm clock, and the glass, _and _the vase, _and _the window!"

"WHAT?" Joey shouted. "I didn't even have anything to do with the vase or the window!"

"Maybe, but you gained from it, and you were in my house without an invite."

"Yeah, sure," grumbled the blond. _What an ass_, he thought. _Even in times like this all he does is think about money._

On the other hand, the remark had something that was… reassuring. Not only did it carry some sort of normality, something you knew to grasp on to in the middle of all the things that were going on, but it also indicated hope: the hope of a future, the hope of having the time and the possibility of paying Kaiba back. It was kind of refreshing, even if, deep inside, Joey didn't really believe it.

* * *

*I was looking for an English metaphor to convey the French here, and oddly enough it involves bullets. That made me smile :D

Alright, normal spiel... what will happen next, in your opinion?


	8. A Rest, Sort Of

**Disclaimer**: Yugioh, as well as Target/Cible, are not mine, but belong to their respective owners.

Chapter eight! Thanks to OtEpShAmAyA for the diligent reviews! And also, thanks to everyone for over 1,000 hits! Considering I joined in late October, I see this success as pretty overwhelming!

* * *

8. A Rest, Sort of

For hours, Joey and Kaiba had meandered around the city, regularly changing vehicles without too much difficulty. The silence that reigned between the two was so cold that he was surprised that the windows and windshield weren't gradually being covered with frost. At long last, they had managed to find a place to sleep.* They stopped at nightfall near a sleazy motel whose name they couldn't read because the neon lighting happened to be in bad shape.

In the hotel lobby, they were informed that if they wanted to spend the night there, they would have to share a room, because there was only one that was both available and in good condition. After grunting and mumbling several profanities, they took the offer – they were too tired to go back on the road to look for someplace else.

They thus found themselves together in a minuscule room that reeked of rotten eggs and mildew. The walls had become yellow and proudly showed off their humidity stains. In some places you could even see cracks that were so large it seemed like you could run through them. A bed, a wobbly desk, and a dulled chair constituted the only furniture, and a feeble lamp managed to project a thick, slightly green glow to the place.

Kaiba gave a disdainful look around the room before moving towards the bed – a double – and sitting down on it.

"What now?" he asked, voice wry. "What's the plan?"

Joey felt like he might explode again.

"How could you _ask _that?" he shouted. "I already gave you the plan on _a silver platter_. By now you should have disappeared from my life _forever _instead of sitting there asking me stupid questions! But no, of course, you had to go blow _everything_! Actually I don't even know why I'm getting mad because that's the way you _are_!"

"Yes, naturally, you had the perfect plan. Is that why you had a gun to your head when I got there?"

"Shut up! I was dealing with the situation fine! It was just a test, and if you hadn't come- "

"What? You and your friend with the glasses would have lived happily ever after in the Enchanted Land of Dancing Birds?"

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"

"Oh, and can you tell me what _this _is?" Kaiba took a wadded-up piece of paper from out of his pocket. Joey grew livid once he figured out what it must be – it was his letter, the second one, the last message for his sister.

"That's not yours, it's for Serenity! How dare you open it!"

Kaiba ignored him. "I'll _tell _you what it is, it's a _goodbye _letter! The last words of a condemned man! You'd have to be an idiot to not get that!"

"I- !"

"Actually, the truth is that you didn't _have _a plan! You must have certainly had an idea or two to escape, but there wasn't any chance that they would work and _you knew that_! You knew that _from the beginning!_"

"So what's it to you?"

"YOU'RE SUCH AN ASSHOLE!" Kaiba shrieked, far louder than he would have liked. He couldn't control himself any longer. "I ALWAYS KNEW HOW STUPID YOU WERE BUT I HAD NO IDEA JUST HOW RIGHT I WAS!"

Joey was speechless for several seconds, shocked by what he had just heard. He was often insulted by Kaiba, but he had never seen him like this or heard him yell so loud. But he wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"It's _you _who's stupid! We've progressed at the speed of continental drift since you've gotten back and we're just as fucked as we were before, _plus _you lost your chance to scram while you could! Now it won't be as easy – they're gonna be at all the airports and you're gonna have to sweat to get out!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, _Wheeler_? I don't plan on giving up or fleeing from anybody!"

"But there's nothing you can do, Kaiba! Shit, they're _everywhere _and you're _alone_!"

"If I'm correct, doesn't that apply to you? So why don't you ask your _dear_ little friends to help you?"

"Yeah, of course, that's a great idea," Joey said with blatantly false enthusiasm. "I'll call Yugi right away. I'll say to him, '_Hey, Yug', guess what? This is so funny – I'm a killer and so I'm in a bit of a snag, so I wanted to ask if I could stay at your place and get some weapons!_'And he'd say, '_Oh yeah, sure, but try not to get any blood on the carpet_!' Yeah, he'd love that!"

"Oh, so the geek squad doesn't know? But _I _thought you had to always trust and be honest to your friends? They could have been of precious help," Kaiba snapped. "Maybe Yugi could even have been the miracle solution! All you have to do is believe in the heart of the cards, and all your problems will be solved!"

"You think I want to drag them into this? That I want them to ask me if I accomplished one of my missions last night when they come meet up with me in the morning? That when they see me they no longer see their friend, but an _assassin_?"

"So? That's what you are, isn't it?"

"You think that _I _decided who I am? You think I had a _choice_? Shit, I would have done anything for something else to have happened! I NEVER ASKED ANYONE FOR ANYTHING!"

Joey couldn't take it anymore. The conversation had left him beside himself and he feared that he would burst at any second if he didn't get out quickly. He turned on his wheels without warning, turning his back to Kaiba, and bolted into the stuffy bathroom adjacent to the room.

Before he even realized what he was doing, the CEO had gotten up and chased after the blond; he arrived just in time to ram his nose into the door, which he began to bang on with his fists. But it was too late; Joey had already locked it.

"Open this door, Wheeler! We haven't finished our conversation!"

"YES WE ARE!" roared the response from the other side of the door. "IT'S OVER! GO TO HELL!"

… How rude! But… were those… _tears _that Kaiba believed he heard on the other side? What was the odd sensation he felt tear at his heart at that moment? Was it possible that it was… regret?

Feeling ill at ease and not knowing what to do, he returned to the bed, which he laid down upon (despite his disgust at the graying sheets.) He began to try to clear his head; with everything that had happened, he felt as if he might explode. At any rate, he knew he couldn't do anything at the moment. The smartest option was to go to sleep, something he couldn't have done yesterday thanks to all of the preparations for his "departure". He stayed there on the covers for a long while before drifting to sleep.

Kaiba awoke a little after the sun had risen. Looking around him (which didn't take too long, given the size of the room,) he saw that Joey wasn't there. He decided to check to see if he was still locked up in the bathroom.

To his astonishment the bathroom door was wide open. He pushed it softly and moved inside, not knowing what he might find. He quickly found there was nothing _to _find: Joey was no longer there. He rushed back into the room to double-check, but he hadn't been mistaken. The room didn't have anything that the blond could hide behind. Just in case, Kaiba checked under the bed - not even knowing what could have possessed Joey to hide in such a ridiculous location - but Joey was not there either. There was no trace of him; he was gone. The CEO thus began to scour the two rooms in the hope of finding a note, a letter of some kind that would explain his sudden departure. But all of his efforts were in vain; Joey had left without a word or a trace.

But the window… it was open! He had probably left through there!

Or maybe not. Maybe he had simply left to go get something and he would return. If that were the case, he would have left a message; and seeing as there wasn't one in the room, it was possible that he could have commissioned it to the concierge. It was worth a look.

Without further ado Kaiba left the room and flew down the stairway to the lobby. He found himself face-to-face with the man they had met with upon their arrival – maybe fifty years old, gray hair, and several deep wrinkles.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes," Kaiba responded. "You remember the guy I arrived with? Have you seen him? Did he leave a message?"

"No, I'm sorry, he hasn't come by here. Are you sure that he wasn't in your room?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Well, you don't have a chance, then, my friend."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it seems like it's up to you to settle the bill. Do you want to do that now?"

"Yeah, might as well."

Paying the bill wasn't the problem (even if Kaiba thought the old guy should be paying _him _for being forced to sleep a night in a room like that), and Kaiba took the liberty of keeping some more money on him. But he knew that Joey hadn't just left because of the bill.

Somehow, he found that ironic. At first, he almost would have expected some nice little speech from the blond about how they should stick together and that thanks to teamwork, they could win. But apparently, Joey wasn't hallucinating this time. He had passed that stage a long while ago. Bizarrely, that made Kaiba slightly sad. He would have liked for his "killer" to have stayed longer. Not that teamwork gave him any sort of particular enthusiasm, but Joey doubtlessly had information that would have been useful to him, and interrogating him could have later saved him some precious time. Too bad.

As he left the motel Kaiba noticed that the blond had had the magnanimosity to leave the car behind (besides, it's not as if he would have trouble getting another one.) Finally, some good news. This way, it would go a little faster…

* * *

*Original AN: "Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but not in this chapter!"

The ending I believe refers to Kaiba finding Joey again using the car that Joey left behind.


	9. Options

Chapter 9, rolling right along.

**Disclaimer**: Cible and Yugioh are not mine, but my knowledge to translate French English I hope would be.

* * *

9. Options

In the end, Kaiba had been right. He hadn't had a plan, and from the start he had never had one. He had always known it.

The light of morning was just beginning to illuminate the sky and Joey's heart began to beat faster. He knew the neighborhood, knew the streets. Soon he would get to his destination. He was happy to have finally gotten here, after having been on the road a large portion of the night and wee hours of morning, but somewhere deep inside of him he would have loved it if the trip had taken just a little bit longer.

A good many people – including a certain CEO he knew – would have treated him like a deranged or cursed man (or perhaps both) for going where he was going. He couldn't say that they would be completely wrong. After all, he had just thrown himself into the lion's den by his own free will. But on the other hand, he couldn't do anything else pertinent. They would just end up finding him….

If he didn't have a plan, at least he was still alive, and he had the definite attention of exploiting that to do the only thing he could: raise as much hell as was possible for him to do.

After parking the car he moved into the building that had become so familiar to him over the years. He didn't know how it was all going to play out. All he hoped for was that he could go as far as he could.

_Please don't let anyone see me, please don't let anyone see me, please don't let anyone see me_…. Joey chanted, as if the mantra had the power to answer his prayers. It seemed to be working, because since he walked in and began moving through its halls, he had not encountered a single soul. Maybe the early morning hour had something to do with it… whatever the case, it worked out well for the blond, who wouldn't know exactly how to react to an unexpected encounter.

Without a hitch, Joey found himself standing in front of his boss' door – one of the few that he actually knew. To his astonishment it was open, but he walked in without hesitation – he had no interest at staying in anyone else's sight. He was even more shocked when he saw his superior already stationed behind his desk.

_Shit, does he sleep here? _It wasn't impossible; it was certainly dark enough in the room to sleep there, and the chairs _were _pretty comfortable-

The door creaking made his boss raise his head; he saw the blond moving in his direction.

"Joey! I wasn't expecting to see you here!" he exclaimed in a tone that mixed surprise with his trademark calm.

"Why's that?" asked Joey. He tried to seem just as relaxed as the man to whom he was speaking, but he couldn't stop himself from gulping in nervousness. This wasn't the time to back down; he had to play all of his cards. "Actually, you _should _have been expecting me so that I could get an explanation!"

The man in front of him raised one eyebrow and started at him for several seconds.

"I don't understand. _You _want an explanation? Are you sure it's not _you _who should be giving one?"

"No! I'm good! On the other hand, I would love to know why you believed you could send three men to replace me without having the liberty of informing me!"

"Oh, but we were very clear. Your mission ended Sunday at midnight. As we didn't have any news from you, we believed you had made a serious error and thus took consequential measures."

"The mission took a nasty turn and I had to stretch it out a bit more- "

"- Which means?"

"Seto Kaiba made himself unavailable, so I hid out at his house to wait for him to come back. Unfortunately, he never did…"

"Why didn't you come inform us of this?"

"I couldn't just leave and take the chance of missing him! And because you refuse any telephonic communication… so suddenly, I saw these three brutes arrive who told me to scram. Without even giving me time to explain the situation they accused me of treason and tried to liquefy me!"

"That's not their version of the story- "

"Well, then they're _lying_!" Joey yelled. "You know perfectly well they were jealous of this mission! They wanted revenge, and you gave them the perfect opportunity! Why didn't you _think_ about what you were doing before you sent them after me?"

"Calm down, Joey, getting mad won't get you anywhere, and especially not towards _me_. Moreover I was not in charge of the mission attribution; that's done higher up, so you're complaining to the wrong person."

"That's why I came! I was almost left for dead and I want answers from the man responsible – from the _highest _man responsible! All I'm asking you is to tell me where I can find him so I can show him my side of the story and a piece of my mind, too!"

After a silence of several seconds wherein his boss seemed to be weighing the pros and the cons as he stared at Joey, the other man spoke.

"Very well, Joey. You will have the opportunity to explain yourself."

"Really?" He could hardly believe it.

"Of course. Here, take this piece of paper. I'll give you several minutes to write down the message that you want, and I promise to deliver the document to its destination and to then further transmit the response to you."

"But… no!" This was too good to be true. "I don't wanna write to them… I need… I need to see 'em face to face!"

"Why? What good would that do you?"

"Well… I can make sure it's the right one… and we can have our _talk_."

"You know perfectly well that's impossible. For our security it is essential that each member knows nothing beyond what he needs to know – no more, no less. It is by cloistering every level to the minutest degree that we protect ourselves in the best manner. You therefore understand that I cannot give you this information unless it is absolutely indispensable."

"But this is an exceptional case-!"

"Even so. I cannot reveal this information to a normal agent; therefore I certainly cannot tell it to one suspected of treason."

"But to clear myself I gotta- "

"Joey, that's enough. You've used the word 'but' enough for one day. Your answer is _no_, you will not be obtaining any sort of special audience."

Joey was out argument, but he had known from the beginning that it wouldn't be easy. What outraged him the most was the unshakable calm that his boss proved to have. During the conversation, his face had been virtually impassive; he was _still _smiling at him.

"You have to be disappointed."

"Of course I am, I haven't- "

"You will _not _have the occasion to kill him."

"…WHAT? No! I didn't want- "

"You shoot high. You have ambition; I can appreciate that."

"No, you're making a mistake!"

"Relax, Joey, I'm not turning you in."

"Well _that's _great because I haven't _done _anything!"

"In fact, I had every intention of making a deal with you. A _secret _deal, you understand…"

"I…" There was something fishy about this, but Joey really wanted to hear about this 'deal'. "Wh-.. no, no deal, I wanna see- "

"Don't lie to yourself, Joey; you know I'm going to offer you a unique opportunity. What you want is the name of the man above me, or even in the echelon above that. You wish to eliminate the people the highest up that you can to create the maximum disorder that you can; and why not find the man in charge of all of the files so that you can force him to destroy or invalidate your dear Kaiba's, with the futile hope that will cause them to forget about him? But it's hopeless, and your actions would be in vain; the damage you could cause would be minimal."

"…I…"

"What I propose to you is something far more interesting. What would you say if I were to serve you the head of the company on a silver platter? That… that could ravage the very foundations of the organization… it would be a great blow."

"Why would you suggest something like that? What's in it for you?"

"My job, Joey. It's been a long time since I first began to occupy this post; I have no hope of advancing, and that has become frustrating. For a while, I did some research; and I managed to uncover some highly classified information – for example, the name and the address of the Big Boss. I put everything into taking his place after his death – an infallible plan, or so I thought. Up until now, I hadn't found the person to accomplish my dirty work. I certainly am not competent enough. But as for you… I propose that you aid me in my attempt to control this 'society'."

"But that's not what- "

"It's not what you wanted? Maybe. I know that your goal was to screw up this organization as much as possible – not just change its direction; but we must all make compromises, isn't that so? Alone, you never could have done anything… but I can promise you things that you never could have had: your definitive liberation from the contract that ties you to us. The end of the execution of the Seto Kaiba case, even – you seem to have finally taken to him."

"I…" Joey didn't even try to deny it. This wasn't the right time and it would have stripped from him what was left of his credibility. He simply remained immobile and silent.

"I will leave you a few minutes to reflect on it; but I know that you'll accept. I knew it the minute you walked through that door. That's the exact reason why I didn't immediately call security."

A beat.

"You know what characterizes us – prudence. With three witnesses against you, and very believable ones at that, you cannot doubt that you would have been convicted already."

"What _great _rules! Here the suspects are _damned _before they have the right to defend themselves! There's no way to prove your good faith or counter some pre-prepared blow. You're just _dead_!"

"What do you want? We avoid every risk; even potential ones. Your case is more outstanding than normal. But, in any case, I'm not here to be useless, and I don't make those kinds of decisions…. yet."

Joey took several seconds to decide. He wasn't entirely convinced, but when such an occasion fell into his hands, it was due to almost unimaginable luck…. it was his only chance.

"Very well. I accept."

"Excellent. Believe me, you won't regret it; you've made a wise choice. One life against two. One last mission and you will be free – you and your _friend_."

"….Myeah," Joey murmured.

With unexpected grace the other man suddenly rose and went to open up a small cabinet in one corner of the room. He took a bundle of documents from inside and handed it to Joey.

"Here. Make good use of them."

"…thanks…"

"You're going to have to open it sooner this time*. You'll find his name, an image, his location tomorrow night, and the most suitable time to arrive. It's a magnificent villa, you'll see; it's there that he meets our potential clients. Oh, and Joey, one last thing. If you have the misfortune of being caught, don't depend on my support – I will deny any implication and you will be _alone_. Understood?"

"I got it."

"Well, in that case I suggest you leave rapidly while it's still early and while it's still mostly empty. And good luck!"

Joey emerged from the building more rapidly than he could have believed, and with information different from that he had come to find. In the end, though, maybe he had won for a change… after a fashion. At least, that's what he hoped!

* * *

So, did Joey make the correct decision? You be the judge...


	10. Intrusion

It's chapter ten! Double digits! This was also a long chappy to translate. Eesh. Hopefully nothing here is *too* surprising.

**Disclaimer**: Yugioh, as well as Target (Cible) are not mine! I'm just translating.

* * *

10. Intrusion

It was tonight. The night when everything would be over.

Well, to be precise, it was tonight that everything could _potentially _be over, if everything went as planned.

But there wasn't any reason for it to go wrong… all he had to do he had already been trained for. And this time, he had a motivation, a light at the end of the tunnel that would help him do the act.

However, he couldn't stop himself from having a very bad feeling, like a claw that was squeezing his chest. But he also knew that this was normal, the 'natural order of things' in a way. He had always felt this way before a mission, and today the pressure was more than normal. In the beginning, when he was no more than a beginner, it had really been hard… but with time he had learned to squelch the whirlwind of emotions that stopped him from breathing and from going as far and hard as he possibly could. Of course, it wouldn't completely negate itself, just stack up until one day it exploded… but 'later' seemed like a good time to deal with it. He could thus pretend, with the best bad faith in the world, that the heavy weight in his stomach didn't exist or bother him in the slightest.

Whatever the case, he always managed to get over it and finish his job. Almost always. But just because he had completely blown the _last _one didn't mean he would do so here. This time, he would succeed! He knew what he had to do. It was easy.

Finding the place had been easy, too, especially with a map of the grounds as precise as the one that had been given to him by his employer. The place was immense – at least as large as the Kaibas'. On the outside the place resembled a prison more than anything else because of its gigantic wall, colored a thick black.

Climbing it was also easy. The folder that Joey had in his possession was so complete it indicated the place where ascension would be the easiest.

He rose up the wall, pausing for a moment at the top. He had a magnificent view of the garden – or perhaps 'park' – surrounding the residence from there. Everything seemed deserted; it was only thus for doubtless there was a number of imposing security agents that had dissolved into the shadow of the trees that the moon only feebly enlightened with its milky glow. The only truly apparent sign of life was the light that he could see emanating from the windows of a villa almost hidden behind the tree trunks.

Once in the compound Joey had to admit that the place gave off a definite air of calm and serenity. Nothing to do glacial or at least bland ambiance he had imagined he would find. But thinking it over, he supposed that, in effect, the peace and luxury had to be ideal conditions for respectable men to be plotting murder completely unbothered.

Halting his train of thought, he leapt to the ground and progressed towards the villa, the central point on the grounds. Based on the information he had in his possession combined with his 'natural talents', he approached it rapidly and in the utmost silence. He made sure to not come across any of the guards; but somewhere the absolute quietude of the place ended up making him ill at ease. For him, a place where even birdsong seemed to have been banned was perhaps a little _too _peaceful.

He paused several meters away from the villa to focus and prepare himself. Everything was going exactly according to plan. On the other side of the bay windows he could clearly distinguish three individuals present in the room; the first he easily identified from the photo he had received as his target, the "Big Boss". In accordance with his habits (especially if one believed the papers in his possession), he had just finished eating a copious meal that he had eaten alone at an impeccably decorated table – one that was directly in Joey's line of sight. The other two men, with ties and dark glasses, were probably his bodyguards. Planted like fence posts on either side of the door on the far side of the room, they were much too far away to intervene and stop his attack once he had begun.

The hour was approaching and it was time to act. He positioned himself in the place he sensed would be most appropriate; from there, he had a good angle to fire at, he could see without being seen, and protect himself from the inevitable counter-fire behind a large rock that formed a natural barrier and, most importantly, he was in an ideal position to double back out of the compound when everything would be finished.

He loaded his weapon as he emptied his head. The glass was likely bulletproof, but what he was using should allow him to bypass that protection. Maybe not on the first shot, but repeated shots would undoubtedly work. The point was to work fast.

He placed the weapon on his shoulder, narrowed his eye down the visor, and adjusted his trajectory. His breathing accelerated; he felt stress beginning to invade-

He could deal with this, he knew it-

He kept his weapon in place, his finger began to press down on the trigger… when suddenly, the man he was targeting got up and left the table. He walked decidedly towards the window, stopping directly in front of it, looking piercingly outwards. Exactly towards where Joey found himself, as if… but that was impossible.

But without ever lowering his gaze, the man began to open the bay window, sliding it open as if it were a door.

_He can't know I'm here! He can't! _, Joey told himself as he tried to persuade himself that what he thought was happening wasn't _really _what _was _happening. He knew he should just suck it up and fire anyway, but he could only stay petrified, staring in a sort of fascinated stupor at the individual's every move.

The man finally managed to open the window completely, but he did not leave the room quite yet; he first smiled oddly in Joey's direction, and then finally decided to open his mouth.

"It's over now." He spoke loudly in order to be heard, but his voice was calm and firm. "You've failed."

Joey did not make the slightest movement. Was the man talking to _him_? Even if deep inside he felt persuaded, he couldn't take the risk of betraying himself.

"You can bring him to me now," continued the other man.

_You? _Joey felt almost sickened at this point. _No, they can't… they can follow me, but they can't set up a trap! _What was going on?...

A noise from his right-hand side caught his attention, and he whirled around.

It was as he had feared. He hadn't seen them, he hadn't heard them, and he couldn't explain it; but as he looked to his right he found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun. But this wasn't the worst part. He could take down _one _adversary, two at his limit – but he quickly came to realized that he was completely surrounded, four guns pointed directly at him.

"Yes, Joey, you understand it's over. If you would obligingly get up, so I can see you, and come join me? And of course, you can drop your weapon where you stand."

He definitely didn't _feel _obliged, but he was certainly forced to do so; so he reluctantly complied, and began moving slowly towards the villa, feeling many eyes follow him.

When he and his body guards had entered the large room with posh furniture, his host closed the window once more, and turned towards him with a sad smile.

"You know, it's such a _pity_, Joey."

Joey felt himself become astounded.

_Who are you talking to? _he thought. The furor of recent events had left him perplexed and, stupor notwithstanding, he began to ask himself a myriad of questions. First, how did this guy know his name? He couldn't possibly remember the name of every single one of his employees…

"What's a pity?" Joey managed.

"Oh, nothing. I was just hoping you'd succeed."

"That I… would succeed in killing you?"

"No, not _that _of course…"

"Then succeed at _what_? And how'd you find me? I thought I was so discreet… and your men… how did they approach me without me hearing anything?"

"Oh, but you see, that's quite simple. They didn't _approach _you, they were stationed there waiting for you!"

"But how… how could you have known?"

"How could you possibly doubt it now – it's thanks to my very dear Mr. Mozet, of course!"

"Who?"

"What a shame. How long have you been working for us again? And you still don't know the name of the people you collaborate with? Let me refresh your memory." He turned towards the door, and the man continued with a louder voice, "You can come in now!"

It was true, Joey had never known his name, but only because he had never said it and because Joey had never thought to ask. He at least knew enough information about the organization that employed to him to at best know that he always took care of himself. Somehow it was a way that he kept his distance. Yet when the door opened, he recognized him immediately. So Mozet was his name. The name of the person who, for so long, had given him missions that he had to pull off. The name of the only person who would know where he was tonight. It was so perfectly logical.

"But why?"

"You were very unjust when you came to see me the other day," Mozet began. "Do you remember? You reproached the organization for condemning people before having judged them. We are proving to you here that that isn't always the case."

"So this was a test."

"A test?"

"Exactly, a test," continued the Big Boss. "And you should be flattered, Joey, not everybody has that right. Often, it's true that we prefer to take no risks whatsoever; it's for our own survival, you see. But I have to admit that you are a great member, one of our most efficient. Well, you _were_." As the Big Boss had stopped, leaving a long pause, Mozet took the initiative of following up the explanation which had been alluded to by his boss.

"Suddenly we started a procedure that has existed for a long while, but that very few people know about and that is reserved exclusively for cases such as this one. After a certain fashion, I doubted that you would have come to see me with a good explanation for the failure of your mission."

"Precisely. And even if there had been a strong – perhaps quasi-so – certitude that it wasn't just a bunch of lies and schemes, seeing that you had numerous witnesses and quite a number of pieces of evidence against you, we nonetheless told ourselves that we should have left you had a chance. A _last _chance."

"So all of this- "

"Yes, Joey. When you went to see him, Mozet gave you something completely different than what you had been looking for. He sold you _me_ on a platter. At the time, even if you acted in good faith, it would have been very difficult to refuse. Not responding to his…advances… ran the risk of him eliminating you completely. But once you found yourself in possession of the information, it was up to you to decide what to do with it. You could have come here and denounced Mozet and his plot, proving both your true intentions and your desire to remain faithful to us. But you preferred to come and execute me and paint yourself like a criminal."

"However," Mozet intervened, "I almost helped you. Remember, when I gave you the folder, I counseled you to 'make good use of them'."

"And you could have asked yourself some questions. It was obvious that a society such as ours doesn't tread lightly and that every member has in their disposal a certain responsibility, no matter how low, that is handpicked. And this folder? How could anyone have details this precise over my property if I hadn't given them myself?"

It was true. Everything they had said was true. Joey wanted to be angry with himself for what he had done, but it was the only option that he had had. He _really _wanted to believe that.

"If I understand you…. I have to die now… right?"

"Not quite. I am first expecting a visitor. You can't stay for our conversation but you will be able to hear the discussion if you wish. We can't delay any longer." Take a more commanding tone, he began to address the armed guards that encircled Joey. "Men, you can accompany my host. And don't forget – I don't want to hear a sound. I hate being bothered during business meetings. You also, Mr. Mozet, it is time to leave us. Thank you for this exceptional visit and return home safely."

Joey was then escorted by his four new "friends" into an adjacent room, while Mozet, after having extrapolated his highest respects for his venerable boss (and more than likely he was also meeting for the first time), left via another door, the one in back that probably led back to the main entrance, leaving him to receive his client under the best possible conditions.

As soon as the door shut once more, Joey pressed his ear against it, in the hope of gathering as much information from the coming discussion as he could. After all, the "Big Boss" had said that he could listen in, and that could be interesting. And his "friends" couldn't stop him from trying!

* * *

Any guesses as to who the new visitor might be?


	11. Questions

Chapter 11! Six more chapters to go!

**Disclaimer**: Not mine, belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and supersophieuh, yadda yadda we get it.

* * *

11. Questions

The doorbell rang again loudly, announcing the arrival of the expected visitor. Then, silence once more. Several instants later, he heard what was probably fists knocking against a door.

"Sir?" asked a pleasant voice, probably a servant. "The man you were expecting has arrived. Should I allow him to come in?"

"Please do," came the response, just as amicably.

From the side room Joey held his breath. He was finally going to discover the identity of this mysterious visitor, the one to whom he owed all these _difficulties_. But yes, he was sure of it, the person who was going to walk in was the one who had asked for the elimination of his last target. If not, what could the conversation possibly be about?

He heard a door open with a slight squeak.

"Hello, Mr. Kaiba. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

_Kaiba? Seto Kaiba? That Seto Kaiba? But-_

"And I as well," coldly responded a voice that Joey knew well. No, his mind wasn't playing tricks on him – but he couldn't come to explain the appearance of this… occurrence.

_How does that ass always find himself in the exact place he DOESN'T need to be in? Why do I have to always end up finding him in my way? Does he do it on purpose or something? _In that precise moment, if Joey hadn't had several guns pointed directly towards his cranium, he would have more than likely burst into the room to give a certain CEO a piece of his mind… and do plenty of other things, too.* Seriously, how was it possible for another human being to be _this _annoying?

_Someone wanna tell me why I didn't kill him when I had the chance_? Joey asked himself. He didn't get a satisfactory response.

More than "how", though, another question was voraciously tickling his curiosity. What did he come here for? What did he hope to find, other than a quick and painful death? With great effort, Joey managed to set aside his acerbic thoughts to pay attention to the conversation at hand.

In the main room the tone had not risen in the slightest, and they continued to exchange polite remarks as if it was a conversation between two very close but very old friends. (In any case, Kaiba, if he had to choose, was the least polite of the two.)

"How are you? Your trip wasn't too fatiguing, I hope?"

"Not at all."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you. I'm quite pressed for time and I would like to have this over with as quickly as possible, if you wouldn't mind." The insistency in his voice was clear: he didn't have time to lose, but to tell the truth, the idea of annoying his host didn't bother him too much. The other man, however, seemed to understand his rush and continued, just as cordially.

"Of course, that's perfectly natural. I suppose being in your shoes isn't the most desirable recently..."

Kaiba didn't take the liberty of responding to him, leaving the other man to follow up on his remark.

"First of all, I would like to ask you a question. Why did you decide to come to us? And so hurriedly? I admit to having been quite surprised when I learned of your request for a meeting."

"Quite simple, actually. I only asked myself which one of my _very _dear friends would most prefer me dead. That took a bit of research… I narrowed the list.. there are certain people who come more easily to mind, and not everyone has the methodology to acquire a service from you. At any rate, my _dear _Siegfried proved himself to be quite cooperative. He graciously and immediately gave me your number."

"So it was thus. And can I ask you for the purpose of your visit?"

"I think that's obvious. I want the termination of your contract which concerns me. Having an army of assassins at my heels has a tendency to encumber my work."

The man in front of Kaiba gave a long sigh, and took on a rather heartbroken expression.

"You must understand that what you're asking of me is impossible. Our contracts, by their very nature, are irrevocable. It's one of the foundations of our organization. Without this, nobody would risk coming to us and we would lose all of our credibility. Imagine, for just a second, concluding a deal while perfectly aware that at any moment a third party could intervene and interrupt your accordance without even letting you know! Those aren't the conditions in which trust can be grounded…"

"Well, I have several things with me that might change your mind," Kaiba pursued, visibly very sure of himself.

"If you're talking about money, I'm sorry, but I can't accept it. As I already told you- "

"Not just. I also have with me a document which certifies that this….arrangement… was not done with Siegfried's express consent. He even signed it himself, claiming that he renounces the further pursuit of the execution of the contract. See for yourself."

The Big Boss took the piece of paper that was handed to him and began to read it, with a look of intensity. The text was clear; there was no way to make it further so. Siegfried had written that, of his own initiative, he wished to annul the assassination he had demanded, and as quickly as possible. The document was authentic, there was no doubt about that, and the signature on the end was the same as the one he had observed on the contract that he had concluded with him personally.

"… Well, it seems okay… he wasn't too difficult to convince?"

"I had some good arguments. What's your point?"

"Well… I have to admit, it usually doesn't work like this."

"Of course; I concede to the damage that all of this must cause, and I'm ready to reward you for it."

The man seemed to hesitate for a few moments before speaking again.

"Mmh. This is the first time we've been confronted with a situation quite like this…" He paused, looking at Kaiba. Suddenly, he addressed him again, a large smile on his face. "But I don't see any reason to refuse. After all, _everyone _agrees to the deal!"

It was done – the 'big' pill had been swallowed. Kaiba could begin to relax. Well, it _began _to be swallowed; he wasn't quite done yet.

"Well, now you'll _certainly _have the courtesy of sitting down and sharing a glass of wine with me!"

"No, I…" It was the CEO's turn to hesitate.

"Yes? Was there something else?"

"Well… I mean…" Beating around the bush wouldn't get him anywhere, and he knew it. "The person who was charged with my execution…"

"Ah, Joey? You left together, if my references are correct."

"Let's just say… things got a little more complicated. We had some different-…. and we took divergent paths."

"I have to admit that I somehow doubt that."

"I wanted to ask if you knew what became of him. There are certain things I'd _love _to settle with him!"

"He can brag – he's created quite a number of problems for us. But at the moment, let's just say the Joey Wheeler problem has been… solved."

Suddenly the house was placed in a strange silence. Kaiba had suddenly stopped breathing, taking a moment before asking a question whose response he wasn't quite sure he wanted to hear.

"He's….dead?"

"No, not at the moment. He is currently located somewhere that I am one of the few people to know of; on the other hand, you understand that after such behavior, he won't be escaping, neither 'sooner' nor 'later'. I'm sorry, but whatever you had to settle is- "

"No!"

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean… I have a proposition."

"Concerning Joey?"

"Yes. I want… him not to be killed."

The other man took several seconds to stare at Kaiba as if he were some sort of strange creature. He had come with loads of energy to make an agreement; he had just pulled it off wonderfully; and now he was taking the risk of blowing the entire thing.

"…And what do you propose?"

"You free him, and I pay you. A fixed sum that I will give you every year. That way, you have every interest in keeping him alive, and I'll have the guarantee that you won't come inopportunely searching to finish your job."

"How much?"

"However much you want."

"For how long?"

"Life."

"That seems clear… but why?"

"Why what?"

"Why should I accept? It's risqué, you see, to let one of my men off of the hook…"

"I think you could make an exception, seeing what'll give you. Besides, he isn't in any position to cause any trouble."

For one or two minutes, the Big Boss seemed to lose himself in his thoughts, not knowing what to choose. But he had already made his decision.

"It's a deal!"

"I'm glad to hear it!" said Kaiba as he deftly hid his relief behind his trademark smirk.

The rest happened very quickly. After several guidelines had been outlined and some documents were signed, the CEO left, disappearing into the night.

The door had barely shut behind him when the agitated atmosphere once again came over the house.

"You can bring him here," came a firm, powerful voice from the adjacent room.

Joey found himself once again driven into the main room, still surrounded by the same number of armed 'guards'. But at this precise moment, he wasn't really concerned about them. The conversation had left him gobsmacked – he hadn't been expecting for his name to have been mentioned, and even less so for a deal to have been reached about him. What could Kaiba have been thinking? The idiot took a guilty pleasure in slamming every open door available to him, risking to find himself down a creek without a paddle… but _why_?

All of this was confusingly strange and strangely confusing… Joey still was having trouble coming to terms with the situation.

"So…" he asked, riskily. "…It's over? None of us are gonna kill each other?"

"Yes. Sorry, but _both _of you are dying today."

"But-!"

"You knew it all along, Joey. What characterizes us is prudence. We do not bend, or accept exceptions to, our rules. Ever. If that were to get out, that could open the door to all sorts of nasty repercussions. I never had the intention of accepting anything. But don't think I don't regret it – Kaiba's offer was very… alluring…"

"That's…" Joey's voice came out strangled. _That's impossible._

"Well, at least you'll be leaving on a positive note – he must really like you to try something like that. It's a pity… you'll never see each other ever again." In an instant, he turned back into his commanding persona, continuing by addressing two of Joey's bodyguards. "You two. Follow the man who just left and kill him. Then, you will give me your report. Hurry up, will you; we'll be waiting."

* * *

*Another sexually-referable-ambiguousness quote? Methinks yes.

Anyway, I think it was pretty obvious most of you guessed Kaiba would be the mysterious visitor. For some reason the Big Boss reminds me of Pegasus even though it clearly isn't. o.O

Any guesses as to what'll happen next? (Hint: Don't think too much.)


	12. Obscurity

Happy turkey day (err, Thanksgiving) to all the Americans~! Have fun with your turkeys and your parades and your gravy and your cranberry sauce and your stuffing and...

Anyway, Ch. 12 for Cible happens to be short and sweet. Hopefully you guys like it! I've gotten a tiny spike in my subscriptions/alerts recently so hopefully this satisfies whoever chances upon this.

**Disclaimer: **Neither Cible or Yugioh or mine; I just translate stuff because otherwise I might forget all my French. Tehe.

* * *

12. Obscurity

Everything was jostling around in Joey's head so fast that he was incapable of focusing on a single, coherent thought. The two assassins had just left the room, but he stayed there, wide eyes turned towards the door. No, it couldn't end like this; that was impossible! Not after everything they had been through! He had to do something! There had to be something he could do!

"Well, I guess your dear Mr. Kaiba never took the time to stop for a drink with me," the Big Boss noted sadly as he turned towards a drink set-up in one corner of the room.* "But, Joey – you'll have something before you-… well, would you like a last glass?"

"Why not," he replied distractedly. He had to try _something_.

"Anything in particular?"

"Not especially." He didn't have a choice. And besides, it's not like he had anything to lose. "I don't care, as long as there's alcohol in it."

"Have a whiskey, then!" cried the other man zestfully, before filling two glasses and bringing one of them to the blond. "Here."

But Joey wasn't thirsty. He did, however, take some profit from it when he threw its contents directly at his closest 'bodyguard' – he let out a cry, unable to do anything but grasp at his eyes, blinded and momentarily out of commission. Capitalizing on the element of surprise, Joey seized the second bodyguard's revolver with both hands; and, all under the watchful eyes of the powerless boss who was dearly regretting not having believed it necessary to arm himself, began a ferocious battle of tug of war whose victor would end up with the gun.

The winner was Joey. Without missing a beat, he ran for the door and scrambled outside.

X. X. X.

He had to work fast; Kaiba had certainly had the time to have gotten himself shot at least five times by now. He ran, breathless, along a road whose path was unknown to him for what seemed to last an eternity. Finally, emerging from the shadows of the night, he saw them. The two men, weapons drawn, still following CEO at an uncomfortably close distance. He seemed unhurt. For now, anyway.

Joey rapidly evaluated the situation. The best solution was to take down each man one by one, starting with the guy who was closing in the fastest. He could only hope that the other man wouldn't turn around at the wrong time, ruining his plan in the middle of its execution.

As silently as possible, he approached the killer, and, at just the right moment, struck from behind as he thrust his hand over the other man's mouth, preventing both his scream of shock and any potential calls for help. Joey then tried to knock him out with a clean blow to the head.

But it wasn't to be that easy. The man was not accustomed to simply giving up, and fought with all of his strength to free himself from the blond's grasp. He only managed to free his lips for a few seconds; but it was enough. Just before Joey finally rendered him unconscious, he let out a sort of dull, yet loud, groaning noise. It was perfectly unintelligible, but sufficient enough to attract the attention of his accomplice.

This was _very _bad. The second assassin instantly whirled around, and once the initial surprise had passed, his first reflex was to point his gun directly at the back of the CEO.

"KAIBA, LOOK OUT-!"

But Kaiba barely had the time to turn to see where the call had come from. Faster than he could have thought it possible, Joey whipped out his gun and fired at the murderer, hitting him in the arm and causing him to drop the gun.

Too late. He had already fired.

Slowly – _very _slowly – Joey saw Kaiba fall and vanish from his field of vision. From that moment on, everything went black. Nothing more existed. Nothing else was important. No image, no sound, no thought could distract him. There was nothing but himself and the distance that separated him from where he believed Kaiba had collapsed.

And suddenly the distance disappeared… without knowing how, he was there.

"Kaiba!"

He was alive. Blood was pouring out from somewhere in his upper arm or shoulder, but he was alive.

"I'm fine," he said, even if it didn't seem entirely true. "So stop shouting, it's already painful as it is…"

_Shouting_? He had shouted?

"Are you sure-"

"I told you YES!"

Without warning, there was another gunshot. The assassin had recovered his weapon and was planning on using it. Luckily for Joey and for Kaiba, he seemed far less habituated to using his left hand. Probably still better to leave.

"Can you walk?"

"I don't walk with my shoulder!"

"Well let's _go_!" Joey shrieked, definitely _not _in the mood for wisecracks. He helped Kaiba onto his feet, and they left in search of the nearest vehicle, one that _wasn't _off insome sinecure in an obscure, deserted corner. As soon as Joey found one, he shot the glass, and he shoved both of themselves inside. This time, there was no debate as to who was driving. The engine roared to life, ready to take them as quickly and as far away as possible.

"…It's my car…"

"What?"

"This is my car… you didn't have to shatter the glass…"

"I… _sorry_! I'm _sorry_!"

To tell the truth, Joey asked himself what he had to be sorry _for_. Sorry he had acted as fast as possible so they could both get out alive? Sorry he couldn't think of anything else to open a car door? Sorry he might have had to be questioned by the car's owner about his anger concerning the damage inflicted upon his car? No, he wasn't _sorry_.

But what he certainly was regretted was not having been able to prevent Kaiba from being shot from behind.

* * *

*The original mentions a bar, but since there was nothing about it in previous chapters, I thought it would be odd to suddenly mention there was one smack in the middle of things, ya know?

P. S. I have a new story to translate lined up when I'm done with **Cible**, and it'll take a lot longer. Be prepared!


	13. Shocks

Hey! I think this is the longest chapter... and if it isn't, then it's the longest one thus far (3000 + words). I personally feel as if it's the most important in the story, in terms of character and plot-related developments (well, except maybe for Kaiba getting shot, but other than that...) We finally start seeing Puppyshipping, sort of. (All the puppyshipping-loving fangirls will find several potential innuendos scattered throughout the chapter that may or may not have been purposeful... he. he. he.)

**Disclaimer**: This chapter and story are belong to **supersophieuh**, and this anime is belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

13. Shocks

It was going to end up being some sort of routine. The same escape by car, the same shabby and shady sort of hotel, the same impression of finding themselves lost in the middle of nowhere…. but where else could they have gone?

They found themselves once more inside of a sordid room. Upon their arrival they had directly been recommended to a double room, and neither of the two took the pain of protesting. Being together in the same room, and not having to let the other one out of their sight, had something…reassuring…behind it. They were better off not explaining or admitting to each other, but it was somehow better that way.

The room was not a carbon copy of the room that they had had before. They had at their disposal here two distinct beds, and the room – although only slightly larger – was less dirty and odorous. It was acceptable progress.

As soon as they walked in, Kaiba moved towards the closest bed so that he could sit down, while Joey just stood standing smack in the middle of the room. He watched the CEO for a couple of moments. He hadn't made a sound throughout the entire journey; he had even managed to mask all signs of his wound so that he could avoid suspicion upon registration at the motel. But he didn't seem on top of his game; and it wasn't over yet.

"I'll be back," Joey called out as he went to explore the bathroom. He was very surprised to find what he had been looking for there – below the sink there was a miniscule armoire which had within it the bare minimum of what could be called a first-aid kit – which in a place like this was far from standard. He took it and walked back in the main room.

Kaiba hadn't moved.

"What is it?"

"For your shoulder," Joey replied as he sat to Kaiba's left.

The reaction was immediate – with a swift leap to the right, Kaiba distanced himself from the blond.

"Come on, Kaiba, you know you can't leave it like that, it'll get infected!"

"And why of all the people on earth should _you _be the one to touch it, Wheeler?"

"Well you don't have much of a choice, it's only me and you here. But don't worry, I know what I'm doing, it was part of my training." As he spoke, Joey tried to move closer to the CEO."Well, to be exact, we learned how to do this stuff to ourselves, but I guess it can't be too different on somebody else. After all, you have to have at least _some _of the same anatomy as other human beings."

"I guess, yeah…"

"So… Can I?"

Kaiba gave a heaving sigh, and presented him his shoulder. If nothing else, it meant yes.

Joey began to carefully remove the different layers of tissue which had been superimposed atop each other to put pressure on the wound and prevent bleeding.

"Shit! This isn't pretty!" The skin was disgustingly bruised, but the bullet didn't seem to have penetrated too deeply or done completely irreparable damage.

"Kaiba, I…" Sooner or later, he would have to do it. "I have to get the bullet out."

"Go ahead." The faster it was done, the faster it would be over.

"Yeah, I… okay." Joey was obliged to admit that the theory had the impression of being far simpler than practice. But he had to try. Now.

After disinfecting the blade of a small knife, he introduced it into the wound, trying to dislodge the bullet. It wasn't easy; it was stuck and refusing to move.

Suddenly Joey was interrupted. The sensation of a lightning strike burst forth in his own shoulder and he didn't know why. Out of pain and shock, he recoiled and straightened in the same movement, the knife leaving the wound without taking the projectile with it. What the hell had happened?

"Woah, Kaiba, I- "

Kaiba hadn't said a word or made a single sound throughout the operation. But he had had a reflex that he couldn't hold back. Without thinking he had needed to grab something with his fingers so tightly that it might explode – and that something had been Joey.

"Asshole, if you hurt, _say _something!"

Normally Kaiba would have given him a scathing look, well played for just having been called an asshole. But not today; he was too busy trying to regain his breath. Joey waited for several seconds before moving back to the inevitable.

"I… I'm sorry… it…. it isn't over… I… I promise I'll go fast! … you'll be alright?"

"Yeah. Go on." He slowly drew back his hand from the blond's shoulder. He had only had to tighten his fists, however stupid that might be…

"No!" Joey halted Kaiba's hand. "I mean… you can leave it. It's just… I wasn't expect it, that's all. It's okay."

Kaiba didn't have the energy to start a debate. Or to even think. It didn't need to be said twice. He kind of had to, in a way.

Joey began pursuit of the bullet once more, this time more successfully. Soon it was brought out of the wound and ended up on the floor – there was nothing more to do than clean up and dress the wound.

Silence took over the place again. Neither of the two seemed inclined to start conversation. It was as if there were nothing to say. They simply stayed there, side by side, for several minutes. The situation became awkward and Joey decided to try to speak.

"Fuck, we shoulda stopped somewhere to grab a bite." Yeah, it was dumb, but at least it could fill in the glacial hole between them. "Well, I mean… you have to have lost blood and all, and it woulda been better to… better if we had…"

"I'm not hungry." The response was dry, final. He decided not to push the subject further. He couldn't have eaten anything himself either.

"Well, um, your arm… how's it doing?" Stupid question. He had been shot from behind, how could he possibly follow up on that? "I mean… given the circumstances…." He knew he should probably just stop talking. "That little bullet was a bitch!" As if Kaiba hadn't noticed. "Well it didn't harm any bone… and it's better that it was on the left instead of the right…." As if that mattered. "Hey. I mean…. it would have been better if it hadn't hit you at all, of course!" Joey was just digging himself into a hole now. "I- "

"What were you _doing_ back there?" The blond's monologue seemed to have left Kaiba completely indifferent.

"Where?"

"You understood me completely. What were you _doing _back there tonight?"

"I…. that's none of your business. Since when do I have to tell you anything?"

"You had a plan, right? You had a deplorable plan that didn't have any chance to succeed!"

"I- "

"And what? It's your boss that you wanted to kill. By removing the head you weaken the edifice, right?"

"It's not that- "

"It _is_ that simple, Joey! You showed up with some totally crackpot plan and you _did _fail!"

"I… you-"

"Your boss told me himself! You got caught; they 'solved' your 'case'! You tried something stupid, more stupid than normal I should say, and you failed!"

"Oh yeah, because you doubtlessly did _so _much better!" shrieked the blond, beside himself. "It's clear that you make good shooting practice! I at least got away!"

"I think so, yes."

"What?"

"I think I did better."

Joey almost strangled him after Kaiba's last sentence. How could he possibly say something like that? How could he be so calm and sure of himself? God _damn _this guy was frustrating!

Kaiba's smile only got larger as he took out a small, black object that Joey couldn't identify of his shirt.

"The secret, Joey, is to always have a back-up plan."

"What… what is that?"

"You'll see." That said, he placed the apparatus on the bed, between them, and pressed what had to be a button of sorts. It began to run, and little by little Joey began to understand what it was.

First, he heard the noise of footsteps on gravel, then a door opening and a welcoming voice filled with niceties, attempting to affirm that "they" had been impatiently expecting him.

And finally –

"_Hello, Mr. Kaiba. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."_

"But that's- "

"_And I as well._"

"Exactly. My entire talk to your boss in high quality audio."

The conversation was identical to the one Joey had heard from the adjacent room. The sound wasn't terribly loud, but everything had been perfectly recorded. Everything except the part involving the deal involving the "man charged with my execution", where an odd sizzling noise prevented any understanding.

"And what are you planning on doing with it?"

"Use it as proof."

"Kaiba, the police won't do anything, they don't mess with these types of people- "

"That's why I'm not _giving _it to the police. I'll be sending the sound clip to different press outlets. They'll drool at a potential scoop like this. Under the pressure of public opinion, the police will be obligated to act." The CEO paused, seemingly satisfied with himself, and then pressed forward. "Of course by no means do they have to have the entire recording. There are some parts they don't need, like the part concerning you. Or like- " An even larger grin drew itself upon Kaiba's lips at his thought. "… Or like when the name of my dear _Siegfried _is mentioned, due to the pleasant conversation I had with him two days ago. It could be quite useful to me in my work… I'm quite certain that Siegfried will become much more accommodating in the future…"

"You can be truly frightening, Kaiba. You know that?"

"Why thank you, Wheeler."

"…That wasn't really a…complement… but okay, if you take it like th- "

He stopped clean in the middle of his sentence. A loud noise had interrupted him. A noise that he knew well. He hadn't been paying attention to it, but the recording didn't stop with the end of the interview. There were two almost simultaneous detonations; he remembered that moment. The moment when he thought-

What followed chilled the blood in his veins. It was his voice. Shrieking Kaiba's name, over and over. Without ever stopping. With so much power and so much… despair.

"_I'm fine, so stop shouting, it's already painful as it is_." So he _had _cried out? He didn't remember a thing…

The cries seemed to have no end to them. Listening to it was hell. Joey rose, and before Kaiba could say or do anything, he knocked the apparatus away, silencing it, and ran to lock himself in the bathroom. No, days were going by but nothing was getting any better. They had gone from bad to worse.

X.X.X.

Everything was calm. He had waited long enough. Kaiba had to be sleeping by now. In any case, there was no light, no noise, no sound of breathing throughout the room.

Joey had finally calmed himself down as well. He had had time to reflect and there was something that he was forced to admit – he liked Kaiba. More than he _could _admit, probably. Earlier the same night in that alley, the sole thought of losing him had made him lose all notion of space and time and pushed him to act completely unreasonably.

That only confirmed his plan – he had to leave.

He silently opened the door, peering into the obscurity of the room. No movement; simply suffocating, immobile shadow. The coast was clear.

Once more, the bedroom that he was in was on the second floor, which gave him the certain advantage of being able to leave via the window without any difficulty.

Without a sound he tiptoed to the window and opened it ever so softly. He placed his right foot on the windowsill and readied himself to climb out with his hands. But something stopped him; something that grabbed his sleeve and yanked him backwards.

_Shit_.

"You don't think I was going to let you get away for a second time, did you, Wheeler?"

He had paid so much attention, was as discreet as possible so that he didn't wake him… useless efforts; apparently, Kaiba had never _gone _to sleep. Always sitting there, on the bed closest to the window*, his piercing blue eyes fixed on him through the ambient obscurity.

"May I ask where you're going?"

"Get off me, Kaiba, I gotta go!"

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"I… I have to fix a few things." As he spoke, he tried to liberate himself from the other's grasp, but in vain. Kaiba gripped very powerfully.

"What sort of things?"

"Things that don't concern you! I have to finish what I started… I have… I have to… I can't stay here doing nothing!"

"Why not? What else is there to do? Head straight for the enemy in the hope of weakening them? You don't need to do that! We had a plan, and _that _is dangerous and idiotic!"

"What's it to _you_?"

"As bizarre as it must seem to you, I don't want you to get yourself killed!"

Joey was taken aback. It was the nicest thing Kaiba had ever said to him. However, deep inside, he was laughing himself silly. This didn't change anything!

"I have to- "

"_No!_" The voice softened and continued, almost a murmur. "Stay…"

It was too much. Joey lowered his head, incapable of withstanding Kaiba's glare.

"You don't understand! I don't have a choice! I _have _to go!"

No, he didn't understand. But he couldn't stop his heart from tightening when he saw tears forming in the blond's eyes just before he closed them.

"Why?"

"If… If I stay, we're dead. If I stay, they'll find us."

"How? We made sure to not leave behind any trace of us. We have some down time before they could possibly uncover our trail- "

"No. They… can follow me… always…"

"How? Tell me!"

Joey wasn't sure if he wanted to respond. But he had either said too much, or not enough. Hesitantly, he lifted his free hand to place it on the scruff of his neck.

"It's here, somewhere… I don't know exactly where…"

"What?"

"They… don't like to lose their men. So they made sure that couldn't happen. They do it as soon as we arrive, so that they always know where we are. It's not _extremely _precise and it takes them a bit of time to localize us, but…" The phrase was left suspended in the air. He didn't know how to finish it. "We know it from our first day – when we go, it's _forever_."

"What are you… talking about?"

"The chip."

There, it was out, he had ended up talking about the fucking electronic gadget underneath his skin.

"Yeah, you can say it. You're dying to. Tagged. Just like a dog."

Kaiba didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. He relaxed, little by little, his grip on Joey's sleeve, then, very slowly, he lifted his hand towards the nape of the blond's neck. His fingers brushed over the skin, running quickly over the region, before stopping.

"Joey. I'm going to make you a promise," he said finally. His voice was low, but firm. "I promise you that once all this is over, we're going to have you operated on, and we're taking that piece of shit out of your body!"

All this just seemed so… surreal. Joey ended up asking himself if all of this was really happening. All he could do was stand there, in front of Kaiba, his body shivering from the unexpected physical contact. On the one hand, he only wanted to run away as far and as quickly as he possibly could; on the other, he felt completely incapable of moving, as if his brain had been fried by those blue eyes, burning with a mixture of anger, determination, and something else he had difficulty describing. It was about that moment that he realized that they were standing close together. Very close together. Too close together.

"I… so you see, I have to go!" he babbled suddenly, tearing himself away and turning to face the window again.

"Very well. I'm coming with you," Kaiba announced, standing in one supple movement.

"Wha-?"

"I can't do anything here, and the faster I have access to my computer, the faster I can send out the sound clip and the faster all this will be over. Moreover, I need you to drive me. I could get there fine myself, but that would take a bit more time," he continued, approaching the window.

He made his decision; his opinion wouldn't be changing. It wasn't worth discussion.

"Hey… If we're both leaving, we could split up, one via the window, and one via the stairs… that would probably be more- "

"And then what? You don't expect me to walk out the main entrance and _pay _for having spent part of the night in a place this dumpy? It's _them _who should be paying _me _for every minute I waste here! I've given enough already!"

"…. Whatever."

"Oh, and while we're at it, try to choose a car that's less trashy than normal."

Joey looked briefly up at the sky. Oh yes. It was definitely Kaiba.

"Of _course_, your majesty."

* * *

*In the beginning, he was sitting on the bed closest to the door, which is usually farthest from the window. Either he moved beds or it's an odd-looking room (maybe like the one I had in Switzerland, I dunno.)


	14. Return

Sorry this is out a little bit later than I wanted it to be today, but hey, I'm still on time. It's so sad, this story will be over next week if everything goes according to plan!

**Disclaimer**: This story is property of supersophieuh, and the anime that of Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

14. Return

They arrived at the home of the Kaiba's just as the afternoon begun. They took care to hide the car they had "borrowed" in the garage before actually walking inside. For Joey, the situation was somewhat odd; when he had left this place the last time he would have never believed that he would be setting foot here again. Certainly not via the main entrance, in the middle of the day, with the owner opening the door for him.

Everything was silent, abandoned. They strode inside, their steps resonating loudly throughout the immense hall. Despite the apparent quietude of things, Joey stayed on his guard, just in case there was a welcoming committee reserved for them. But there was nobody – not surprising, after all; who could have foreseen that they would have had the imprudence or necessity to come back?

"And now?" Joey asked.

"Follow me."

Kaiba decidedly guided him towards the stairs. Once on the second floor, he turned right, and entered the second room to his left, followed closely behind by the blond.

"What's this?"

"My office."

Joey couldn't have doubted it when he saw the desk, imposing, sitting like a throne in the center of the room. The CEO walked towards it, sat in the chair directly behind, and turned on the computer that was sandwiched between two perfectly organized piles of documents.

"You can sit down," he addressed Joey, who hadn't moved from the frame of the door. He responded to the invitation, sitting down in the nearest chair.

For several moments, he silently watched Kaiba spring to life behind his keyboard. He was typing at such an impressive speed he could have easily just used his right hand. Even with both hands and being on top of his form, the blond could never rival him.

"So what exactly are you doing?" he questioned, finding time passing too slowly.

"I'm in the middle of creating the file that I'm going to send. I can't be happy with just sending out the audio clip just like that. I have to first remove several of the documents they have absolutely no need for – like when our names are mentioned. Then, I have to gather up all the information that we have, select the most pertinent, and include them- "

"Wait a minute," Joey intruded. "You mean… you already researched the organization… and you still went to the villa to cut a deal…? Why? Why didn't you just send what you already had to the press?"

"That probably wouldn't have been of any use. All that I could find were some bits of information on places or people who are more or less the shady type; but nothing that I had could clearly prove the existence of any sort of illegal activity and I would bet it wouldn't have been sufficient. I have to say, I've never known anyone so skilled in the art of remaining unnoticed."

"Yeah, they were always pretty good at that," Joey murmured.

"I needed something that said more, more… explicit… that recording is exactly what I needed," Kaiba concluded, ended his explanation with a satisfied smile. It went away, however, when he hesitated upon trying to speak again. "Then…. well, to be frank, at the time I had really hoped that that… that arrangement would be accepted. It seemed the least risky solution… "

If Joey had wanted to talk, he probably would have asked Kaiba what made, by any means, could have been the 'least risky' solution inside their lair. But he didn't wish to; he remained silent, happy to dwell on that expression that had heard Kaiba use twice. "At the time". All of these events were quite recent, however, they already seemed so long ago…

"Well, I had to cave in to the evidence. They're dumbasses," Kaiba suddenly and quite categorically declared.

"Wha-?"

"Believe me, propositions like the one I offered to them I don't make too often. If I did, KaibaCorp would have tanked a long time ago. They could have seized the opportunity, but they didn't know how to profit from it. That proves, among other things, they have absolutely no business sense."

"Maybe…" Joey sighed deeply. "Maybe it's just because it's not the same _kind _of business."

Kaiba stopped typing, his fingers immobile an inch or so above the keys. He lifted his eyes and stared directly at the blond. He seemed elsewhere, lost in his memories… probably not nice ones at that. There was a question that he had wanted to ask him for quite a while now, even if he wasn't sure it was a good idea.

"Joey, how… How'd you end up in there?" Finally, it was out. It was easy – the words had left his mouth before he had even realized that he had said them.

He wasn't really expecting to receive a response. He was thus not surprised when Joey stayed still. Actually, he had even imagined getting a stinging "None of your fucking business" or "Why did I end _up _in there?" Honestly, he would have preferred this form of burning reply in lieu of his icy silence.

"You don't have to respond. It's just that- "

"No, it's okay!" Joey cut in, to Kaiba's grand stupefaction. "It's not like… It's not as if it were a secret or something." It nevertheless took him several seconds to find the energy to answer him. "In fact, it happened kinda simply. It was… for the money." A sad smile morphed his expression as he spoke. "We needed money and my dad had heard people say… I don't really know, actually, and I don't really wanna know… well, stuff about _them_. He heard that they were planning some kind of… of training. They were organizing a training exercise but you didn't have to pay anything. In fact it was them that paid for us to be taught… and believe me, they pay really well.. it's more… encouraging… that way."

"When? When did you- "

"Oh, a long time ago. I can't tell you exactly when anymore but… still, it's normal, they need younger people, they integrate quicker into the scheme of things. The training was really harsh, not everyone makes it and you need to hang on… anyway when you get to the field, you're really efficient. In the beginning I tried to persuade myself that it would only last a little bit, they would have enough and it would stop… but I always knew. You can't just leave; they don't accept any form of desertion. Some people end up- …. but I never could."

He wasn't really complaining; it was more matter-of-fact. A bitter, disabused fact, one that Joey had imperturbably just recounted in a monotone.

Kaiba had listened from the beginning to the end, but there was nothing he could say. What _could _you say to someone who just told you something like that? He wanted to do something. He wanted to find a way to calm the anger that wracked his insides every time Joey brought up his past. He wanted to get up, head straight over to Joey, and… what? He didn't have the slightest idea. He didn't know what to do.

"You really look bad," he stated finally.

"What?"

"When was the last time you slept?"

"I… I'm fine!"

"Go sleep. I don't need you to finish my work."

"But I… I can't! And if- "

"We got here a half hour ago. Even if they're on to us, we have a slight lead. I'll keep an ear out for suspicious noises. I'll wake you up, don't worry. Now _go sleep_."

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Joey consented, halfheartedly at best. He still had to come to grips with the fact that he wasn't ready to follow up on an argument. "Where can I- ?"

"Go up a level. Open any door, take whatever guest room you want. Or…" He suddenly looked at the blond. "Or you could take my room, if you want."

"Wha-?"

"Yeah, you already know the way there. Besides, it really seemed to suit you the last time."

"You're… you're sure?" Joey had trouble believing what he was hearing. Was Kaiba really offering _him _to use _his _room?

"Go ahead. Anyway it's not like I'll be using it in the state that it's in."

"Oh. Right. You scared me for a second there!" Joey said as he rose. Evidently he had forgotten the deplorable state the room had been left in after their 'plan' took them into Kaiba's bushes. If that's not what Kaiba had meant, _that _would have been weird…

He moved towards the door and began to leave the room when Kaiba's voice caught him in his tracks.

"Joey, wait!" He was visibly ill at ease and didn't seem to know really how to phrase what he wished to. But he was determined to say it. "Thanks."

_That _completely stunned Joey. He never would have waited to hear a word like that escape the lips of Seto Kaiba; in fact, he had been half persuaded that it was physically impossible for him to pronounce them. At least, not without hurting his tongue while trying.

"Why?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"For… everything… you've done… from the beginning. For saving my life."

"…. Kaiba. I don't know what sort of drugs you're on, but you should probably stop, cause it _really _doesn't suit you!"


	15. Empty

This chapter is pretty long, too, so that's why it's up so late. Sorry! Happy December (and Chanukkah)! In a week or so with my current schedule, this story will be over :(

Anyway, this chapter didn't originally have parts to it, but I thought it divided nicely, and it makes it seem less intimidating to read at a glance. I took a few more vocabulary and sentence structure liberties than I normally do, also, because I was scrunched for time; so it might look more like my style because I was translating so fast. (Skim French, type English, skim French...)

FOR THE FANGIRLS: Finally, the movement all you weirdos have been waiting for... the first concrete proof of Puppyshipping! I'd suggest reading the entire thing and not just skipping down to that section, though, because it's usually better with at least some chapter background.

**Disclaimer**: Belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and supersophieuh! Even if my time constraints don't really make it seem that way, c'est vrai.

* * *

15. Empty

Joey hadn't had any problem in finding Kaiba's bedroom. Once inside he could measure the extent of the damage inflicted in the room the last time he was here. Nothing had moved since they had left; the ground was littered with pieces of vase, broken window, and some other blown-out or inside-out objects. However, in the ambient chaos, he could still sense that odd sensation of serenity that he had felt the last time he had been here.

He stretched out on the bed, allowing himself to be comforted by the regular, monotone sound of Kaiba's fingers assailing his keyboard below him. Though the room was a level higher, the impressive calm that enveloped the residence allowed him to distinctly hear it. Somehow, he could say that the noise wasn't at all annoying. Yes, it probably would have bothered him normally, but in this precise moment… he felt too tired for that. In fact, he had the impression that he could lay here and do nothing but listen to the sound for hours; it wasn't like he had anything better to do, after all. Succumbing further and further to his fatigue, he allowed his thoughts to wander about happily, until he began to fall asleep, until –

The noise stopped.

He sat up quickly. Why did the sound cease?

Maybe Kaiba finished his work? _Surely _Kaiba had finished his work. Why else would he have stopped typing?

But in that case why wasn't he coming up the stairs to come and inform Joey? Why did the deathly silence continue to fill the mansion?

He had to know!

He moved off the bed and left the room as silently as possible without even knowing why he was taking the precaution of doing so. He went down the stairs, each step groaning horribly under his weight, and finally Joey saw the office door.

He held his breath and pushed it open.

"Kaiba?"

Kaiba wasn't there. The room was empty.

"Kaiba?" he continued, advancing forward slowly. "You around?"

No reponse; the room remained hopelessly deserted, silent. Only the computer, still on in the middle of the room, attested to the recent presence of someone inside.

"Shit, Kaiba, this isn't funny! Show yourself!"

Joey began to scour the the farthest corners, turn on all the lights, verify the locks on the window. In vain.

_No, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening! He has to be around here somewhere!_

Panic began to take over; he took one last sweeping glance of the room before walking into the hall. There, he began to open the doors, one by one, one after the other, hoping each time that the CEO would appear behind it. But it never happened, and he kept on trying, his gestures becoming more and more frenetic. He swore at at least half of the damned doors that never seemed to end! He was beginning to overheat; he couldn't do it anymore, he was almost at his end… and then-

"Joey!"

Yes, it was him! It was his voice! But where was he?

"Joey!"

He had heard him, he was sure of it – his voice was resonating throughout the house. Why didn't he see him?

"JOEY, SHIT!"

With these words came a heavy weight pressing down on his right shoulder. It was then that he understood; at that moment that he came back to reality.

By reflex he lurched forward, giving out a strangled cry. He took two or three deep breaths before finally opening his eyes.

_A nightmare_. _It was just a nightmare! _He could have doubted it. After everything that had happened, how could he have dreamed of anything else? Only it was…. so real.

"Well, now that you're up, could you maybe _let go of me_?"

"I what?" Joey began to become aware of his surroundings… and discovered the horror of his situation. Without really knowing how it had happened, he felt himself sitting on the bed, his two arms wrapped around Kaiba's waist.

"Oh, sorry!" he exclaimed as he released his grip. Taking a brief look around the room, his eyes fell upon the window, where the sun was already close to the horizon. "How long was I asleep?"

"Six hours."

"What? That's not possible!" Maybe what had just happened was just a nightmare; but it could soon become reality if they didn't scram fast. To tell the truth he was surprised they hadn't already arrived with that kind of delay. "Why'd you let me sleep? I need to go! They're gonna come! They're gonna-"

"Frankly, I think they have something else to worry about right about now."

Kaiba opened his bedside nightstand and took out a remote, which he pointed at the opposite wall. A panel slid away, allowing a giant and magnificent television screen to appear. It turned on, images appearing little by little.

From what Joey could see, it was a journal or reporting station of some kind. A commentator, a woman dressed in beige, was babbling into her microphone as if she had found the scoop of the year – but what was it about?

"…. _great police operation which has succeeded at an unprecedented breakthrough. We move now to our correspondent at the scene._"

The picture then changed to present a street, or rather, a large building in the background. A background Joey wasn't unfamiliar with…

"…_Yes, Karol._" Began the man in a gray suit. "_I am here directly in front of what appears to be the head of this criminal society. A building like any other, that residents of the area passed by every day. They thought it one of among the innumerable office buildings and went on their way, unaware of the bliss of their ignorance. How could they have believed that here, only meters away from their homes, life and death were being decided. We have managed to approach one of the officers responsible for the massive series of arrests on this memorable day exclusive to our channel…"_

The man in gray, ever joyous, was soon joined onscreen by a perfectly dressed policeman who had the appearance of someone heavily pestered. An animated game of question-response followed, but Joey was no longer listening. He had moved towards the screen and placed his two hands upon it, as if trying to stop the moving images and prevent them from vanishing. He couldn't believe it.

"Is… Is it true?"

"Yes," Kaiba confirmed categorically.

"I…they…" Joey's brain seemed to have swiftly morphed into a mess of cotton. The information flowed into one ear and seemed to irremediably fly out the other. "What happened?"

"The little assassin-group story made… shall we say, plenty of noise. So the police decided it would be a good idea to calm things down and act – of course, in their version, they had long been on the trace of the 'powerful organization' and were just waiting for the right moment to launch an offensive. Very few men could have escaped them. The top of the pyramid – including the boss – have already been incarcerated. You could say that they weren't really ready for such a blow."

"So…." Joey wasn't sure if he understood the situation. Probably more accurately, he was afraid that what he thought he heard wasn't really true. "So that means… I'm free? That…. that it's over?"

"Yes, Joey, it's over." Kaiba knew that it would take some time before things calmed down again, that they had to stay prudent and remain discreet, waiting for the police to finish their work… but today, they could say that they had gotten away. They had survived.

He couldn't help smiling as he watched the blond stare at the TV incredulously, eyes so close to the screen that he couldn't possible distinguish anything. It had been a long time since he had seen him like this, that he had seen him so… alive.

A ringing noise brought the CEO out of his thoughts and made the blond leap a meter away, apparently still on his guard.

"It's nothing," Kaiba assured him. "It's my phone."

His breath still quickened, Joey saw him take it out of his pocket and place it to his ear. Looking back through his memories, he vaguely remembered hearing about his special phone, known only to Mokuba, who held its sibling.

Wondering what his brother could want, Kaiba recoiled and had just the slightest amount of time to whip the apparatus away from his eardrum before it exploded.

~ X X X ~

"_WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?" _roared the voice on the other side of the line.

"Mokuba!" He was stupefied. This type of behavior didn't correspond to his little brother. "Watch your language!"

"_I'm not watching anything, buster, and you're in absolutely no position to be lecturing me! Now answer my question! What the fuck is this shit?"_

"What are you - "

"_You know exactly what I'm talking about, Seto! You think just leaving the country cuts us completely off from Japan? Let me tell you that this hotel has unlimited internet access and that I know how to use a goddamn computer!"_

"How did you- "

"_You think I'm an idiot? You got shot at in that fucking airport, you shove me and Serenity on a plane in the middle of the night before disappearing completely _ _and suddenly a few days later the press is raving about some mysterious organization of killers that the police are pressured into fighting? You really think there was any chance I wouldn't make the connection?"_

"No… I guess not…"

"_Why didn't you tell me anything? I mean… I'm your brother! You could at least keep me up to date!_"

"I… I didn't wa- " Before Kaiba could even finish his sentence, the phone was violently ripped from his grasp.

"Mokuba?"

"_Joey?"_

"Yeah, it's me. Mokuba, is Serenity around? How is she? Did she.. .did she hear? Does she know?"

"_No_." Mokuba's voice had gotten more sad, more calm. "_She's doing fine but she doesn't know anything. I didn't tell her anything. That's why it took me so long to call, I had to find a believable excuse to leave the room. I thought… that if you had something to tell her you would say it yourself."_

"Thanks, Mokuba," Joey said as he sighed in relief. "Don't tell her anything! She can't know!"

"_Joey… you were in it, weren't you? Is that why she's involved?_" There wasn't anything more to say. They both knew what they were talking about.

"Yes."

"_Listen, I don't really know what's going on, but you have to talk to her, she needs answers. She's extremely worried… and it's horrible to stay in the dark, I know what I'm talking about here!_"

"No! She can't know anything. Believe me, it's better that way. Tell her I'm fine, that you spoke to me and everything's fine, don't go into details. Please…"

"…_Fine,_" Mokuba consented after a slight hesitation. "_I guess it'll be easier to explain once you're both face-to-face… Well, I gotta go now. Say hi to Seto for me. Bye!_"

"Bye, and thanks again."

Joey closed the cell phone, calmer. At least a positive point.

He turned towards Kaiba and was suddenly very ill at ease. He could really give some frightening glares.

"Sorry about the phone… I just had to- "

At that moment, the CEO couldn't care less about his phone.

"How long do you think you can continue your little game?"

"Wha-?"

"How long do you think you can hide it?"

"Mind your own business." Joey wasn't in the humor, and it wasn't the right time to go looking for a fight. "What else did you want me to do?"

"Oh, _I _don't know, maybe _tell her the truth?_"

"Oh yeah, that! As if it's that simple!"

"It's not easy, but it's your sister, she- "

"EXACTLY! She's my sister! You really think that's what I want her to think of her big brother? A murderer?"

"That's not true, Joey! You're not- "

"It's _true_, Kaiba! I _am _what I am! I've _killed _people! _Lots _of people! They're dead _because of me!_ I aimed at them, I focused, and I _fired!_ I didn't give them a chance! I _am _an assassin!"

That made Kaiba mad. Really mad. First of all, he had just cut him off – something that was happening too often these days – and then to hear the blond spit out things like that. He raced straight at Joey, forcing him to back up, and trapped him up against the wall. Rage was flaming in Kaiba's eyes.

"Did you ever _want _to kill anyone? Did you ever find the least pleasure or the slightest satisfaction in executing your missions? Did you even _ask _to do that fucking job?"

"No- "

"Wouldn't you have given anything to stop? To walk away and never hear about any of it ever again?"

"Yeah, but- "

"_Fuck_, Joey, don't you see what they did? You didn't decide their deaths, they only used you to do their dirty work! Whether it was you or somebody else, they made sure the job got done. All those people were _fucked_, just like how I was supposed to die, because _they decided it!_" No reaction. The words seemed to have slipped right over Joey's head without registering. "Don't you see that they brainwashed you?" They wanted to turn you into a obedient soulless machine! But they _failed_! You never became what they wanted out of you!"

Still the same silence. Kaiba didn't know what to do to capture the blond's attention, the one who was standing immobile in front of him, eyes riveted to the floor.

"Joey, look at me," Kaiba said, placing a hand under Joey's chin, forcing him to raise his head and look him in the eyes. "You're not a murderer."

It was such a simple sentence… but Joey couldn't find a single word capable of describing the variety of emotions it engendered inside of him.

~ X X X ~

He didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply stayed there, staring at Kaiba, gaze lost in those magnificent, fascinating blue eyes.

Then, without really knowing what he was doing, he ever so slowly approached those strangely attractive eyes, little by little reducing the distance between their faces into a miniscule space, so small it was hardly there. He filled that space.

At that moment, time stopped. Or at least, that was Joey's view. It took him several seconds for him to comprehend the situation.

Yes, he kissed Seto Kaiba. And even freakier, Kaiba had kissed him, too.

How long had he been waiting for this moment? He hadn't a clue. But that wasn't important. The only thing that mattered was that they were there, suspended in the vacuum, their lips sealed by a sort of indestructible, invisible force.

"_NO!"_ With a brusque movement, Joey broke contact and backed up as far as he could, thrusting himself, once again, into the wall behind him.

"What are you doing? Stop!" he shouted, breath coming in short gasps.

"What am _I _doing?" Kaiba said, incredulous. "The question you're looking for is- "

"Yeah, _you_! You shouldn't have… that never should have happened!"

Unceremoniously wrenching himself away from the CEO, Joey bolted, running for an exit… to be almost immediately halted by something, or someone, grasping onto his sleeve.

"Wait!"

"Don't boss me around!" Joey burst, shoving Kaiba violently.

Knocked off balance, Kaiba tried to catch himself on the nearest piece of furniture. Unfortunately, his reflexes didn't always take life's exceptional concrete occurrences into account.

"_Shit, bad arm," _he had time to think before feeling what could have been lightening strike his shoulder and rampage throughout his body, causing him to fall flat on the floor.

"I…" Joey really wanted to turn around, retrace his steps, but… "I'm sorry!"

"Joey! Wait!" It was too late; he was already gone. Kaiba lurched back onto his feet and went in pursuit of the blond, but he had to admit, he was very, _very _fast. By the time he had reached the landing Joey was already at the bottom of the stairs. He followed him behind at a good distance, losing ground with each step despite his efforts. He got to the garage in time to see a car pulling out onto the main road. "Come back here now_!_"

He couldn't just leave like this!

'_Not now, it's too early!_'

Panicked, Kaiba finally remembered that there were other cars in the garage. He took the nearest set of keys and got into the vehicle only to realize that the tires were flat. Or, rather, that _someone _had flattened them for him. Surprisingly, it was the same way for every other vehicle he had. That was what he had to call… efficient.

But now, he was stuck.

"I hate you, Joey Wheeler! You have no _idea _how much!"

* * *

Interesting. Two more real chapters and an epilogue left to go! How do you think it'll end? (Other than just that they end up together?)


	16. Impatience

**Disclaimer**: Kazuki Takahashi + Supersophieuh = Owners, and =/= me.

Personally I find Kaiba very OOC here; the character shift was going nicely until this point and then suddenly he's all lovey-dovey. Anyway, personal views aside, here you go.

* * *

16. Impatience

Kaiba was angry. A black, implacable anger that made his entire body tremble in rage. In fact, he couldn't remember ever having been so angry in his entire life before. But maybe that was because he couldn't really remember anything clearly at the moment.

_Joey…_

How could he? How could he have let that asshole run away _again_? What was he thinking? That he could just bolt and simply leave him _standing _there? But most importantly, how could he have been so _stupid_? That type of running away was just the best way to get himself caught! By the police, by whomever was following him, or worse, one of his ex-colleagues still roaming around free! Of course, _they _hadn't been completely free _here_, either… but at least they could have heard them arrive and they could have prepared themselves! Even though the number of assassins was probably lower now, they all would have escaped… as for the policemen, he could deal with them. He told them… they had planned… and he never would have left them take him away!

He had to find him again.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the slightest idea how to go about doing that. He was furious; it was as if he were the only person without a way to get to the blond. He had to work fast.

Suddenly, an idea sprang to his mind – yes, there was a way!

He immediately got back up on his feet, running through the hallways and up the stairs – four at a time –to his bedroom. His eyes swept the room, and he sighed in relief. Yes, it was there: the telephone that Joey had ripped out of his hands lay on the floor, probably having slipped from his grasp when he… when they… Anyway.

He seized it off the floor and started banging on the keys, his fingers trembling so badly that it took him several tries to enter the number that was supposedly so familiar to him.

"_Seto?_"

"MOKUBA!" He roared, unrestrained. "GIVE ME SERENITY! NOW!"

His little brother did so at once; he had understood from Seto's tone that now was not the time to discuss anything. Soon, a feminine voice came from the other side of the line.

"_Hello? Mister Kaiba?"_

"SERENITY! WHERE CAN I FIND JOEY?"

"_Wh…what?" _The young woman seemed thunderstruck and uncertain of having correctly understood the question. She could barely believe that the screaming, somewhat lunatic of a man she was talking to was the same calm, icy individual that she had discovered on her doorstep a few days beforehand.

"Joey!" Kaiba repeated, trying his hardest to control himself so that he could make himself be understood. "Where can I find him?"

"_I thought… he was with you… Mokuba said-"_

"Yeah, he _was_." Explanations would come later, he had to dive straight to the point. "Think. Where would Joey go whenever he was upset?"

"_I… I dunno… I don't see him too often, and when I do he doesn't normally talk about that kind of thing… it's not what pops up in conversation… and besides he never said anywhere in particular… So I guess if he wanted to hide or relax, well… he would go home. From what I understand, our dad's not usually there, so he'd have some peace… Mr. Kaiba, what's going on?"_

Home. Why hadn't he thought of that? It was so _obvious_. Kaiba didn't usually have a brain that would be as uncooperative as it was being…. he also realized, quite bitterly, that he didn't even know the blond's address.

"Where does he live?"

"_742 Evergreen Terrace. Third floor. The… The name is written on- _"

Kaiba hung up. Within seconds his thumb was jabbing in a new number onto the keypad, dialing a new number. It might be only a lead, but he had to try it; and to do that, he had to have a method of transportation. (Just try changing a tire with one arm sometime.)

After trying to contact three different taxi agencies, there was only one thing left to do. Something he wasn't really used to trying, and for him, was particularly unbearable: waiting.

~ X X X ~

After what seemed an eternity to Kaiba, a car appeared on the main road and came to a stop directly in front of the main entrance. Instantly, Kaiba, who had been waiting on the doorstep, headed straight for it.

The driver – a man with brown hair and a thick moustache – opened his door to greet him while ogling the décor of the house that surrounded him.

"Woah, man, nice place. Where we headin'?"

"Congratulations, you got here first. But 'we' are going nowhere. And where _I _am going absolutely is of no concern to you."

"What do you-_gaaaah!_" wailed the poor man as he was violently wrenched from the car by a Kaiba very anxious to get behind the wheel. "_I'm _drivin'!"

"Unfortunately, you could never attain the speed that I require," Kaiba declared as he took some white paper out of a pocket. "Will this do?"

"For what?" said the other man as he took the check that was given to him. As soon as he saw the number of trailing zeroes, he became very, very pale.

"I guess that means yes."

"H…h.. how do I know this ain't some blank check?" he tried to articulate.

"See the house behind us? That's mine."

Kaiba was prepared to go when the driver caught the door.

"So what am I supposed to do here?"

"Count clouds or something! When your friends arrive, tell them it's too late and they should have gotten here sooner!" With that, the engine roared and the car sped off.

~ X X X ~

Without ever slowing, Kaiba darted through the roads that separated him from his target. It would have been impossible for him to count the number of times sparks flew out from behind him or the number of civilians he could have accidentally killed. At each turn, the tires slowed dangerously under the effect of the friction with a horrible grinding noise. But none of that was important.

The only thing that was important was finding Joey. He had to find him again. There was no other foreseeable option. The last conversation that they had had could _not _be the last conversation they would _ever _have; he couldn't imagine living without seeing him again. Even the idea made him nauseous.

Yes, he was scared. That scared form of panic he had felt reading that fucking letter or waking up alone that one morning in the hotel. He was literally scared out of his wits. He would have denied it, but he was far too stressed to just lie about it anymore. It was like a pressure that squeezed his lungs and that wouldn't let go until he was with Joey again.

He couldn't be too late. It couldn't end like this. Joey couldn't…

He slammed down on the gas.

~ X X X ~

Night fell, and it was black in the apartment. It was probably better that way. There was no piece of furniture worth looking at anyway – a nice coating of dust had completely covered the floor, save for the several objects that were littered upon it.

Joey was sitting down against the far wall, immobile. He stared at what had once been a living room and was now no more than an empty room. Apparently his father hadn't accepted the lowering in lifestyle change when his son had "resigned", so he decided that the cost of the furniture would be a nice substitution for the lack in revenue – a very good one, it seemed. Where was he now? Joey didn't know. He had visibly not been back in quite some time and quite frankly he hoped that it wouldn't be too soon, either. At least, not until he had left. Besides, it couldn't take too much longer.

Suddenly, a siren turned on in the distance, ripping apart the nocturnal calm. The noise was approaching, becoming louder and louder.

"Still!" Joey thought as he waited for the vehicle to stop in the street. He was expecting the visit. After all, he was in the first place they were allowed to look through and because they had the basic electronic equipment now, they could find him. He still couldn't stop himself from believing the police's tactics to be slightly ridiculous; with all the racket they were making he could have escaped twenty times by now if that had been his intention.

He just had to wait.

It still, to his taste, took an abnormally long amount of time before he heard footsteps on the stairs or the lock blow out, thanks to a well-aimed bullet. But the person that Joey then saw appear in the door had nothing to do with the police.

"Hello, Joey. Happy to see me?"

* * *

Oh, no. A cliffhanger. *Coughs*

Let's play that fun game called "Guess how the next-chapter-which-is-also-the-last-chapter will end up!"


	17. Fin

Final real chapter. It's been a blast translating this, and I hope you enjoy the ending! There *is* an epilogue, for those who are interested in that sorta thing.

Oh, fangirls, this is the "je t'aime" chapter. Have fun.

**Disclaimer**: Cette histoire appartient a Supersophieuh et a Takahashi Kazuki. Pretend that 'a' has a grave accent.

* * *

17. Fin

Underneath the door frame, Harry had just made his entrance.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he noted, marvelously using his knowledge of feigning politeness. "How've you been since last time?"

Joey stayed silent – it wasn't the type of question that required a response. He simply kept his eyes fixedly on Harry as he approached slowly, the same hypocritical smile on his lips. But then it disappeared within a fraction of second.

"I've been doing horribly! Wanna know why?" A strange brilliance, frightening, gleamed in his eyes. "Go figure, this afternoon I went to work – model employee that I am – to retrieve the new file that had been given to me, when, suddenly, guess what I find in the street? The police! _Dozens _of police cars parked helter-skelter in the fucking _middle of the street_. Strange, don't you think?"

Harry was only a few steps away from Joey now. He stopped, raised his gun, and pointed it at the blond. He had played around enough.

"I had nothing the _fuck _to do with the fact you don't like your job. It's not the way everyone thought – _I _lost _everything_!" He completely abandoned the idea of containing himself and exploded in rage. "_Everything_! My job! My status! My connections… and soon my liberty if I don't soon flee to the other side of the _planet_! But first…"

In an instant, he seemed to take control of himself again. His voice was again calm, collected; and an evil smile lit up his face.

"… I have one last thing to do… a last mission to execute, to have finished my work up to the end. That's why I'm not already gone. That's why I spent last night spying on the police hoping they'd end up uncovering your trail and that they'd take me straight to you. Believe me, it's something that I'll be doing with _bounds _of pleasure."

A glacial sensation flowed through Joey's temple as the metal of the gun came into contact with his skin. He hadn't put up too much of a fight, it was true. But at the same time, what else could he do? His foe was armed; he wasn't. If he had tried anything when Harry had been walking up to him, he would have immediately been shot down. Moreover, he really didn't feel like fighting back. All he wanted was for all of this to end – that Harry _just _stop talking…

"You're lucky," he hissed as he armed his revolver. "I'm kind of in a hurry. I have to be gone before the police decide their men are taking too long to come back and decide to send in reinforcements. For you, it'll be over quick. You won't have any time to feel pain."

Joey glanced questioningly up at him. What had he meant by "for you"?

"However, as for your _boyfriend_, I have every intention of taking my sweet time."

"What- "

"Without him, none of this would have ever happened! So I'll find him again. You can count on it." He placed his finger on the trigger. "Goodbye, Joey."

~ X X X ~

The trip had taken an eternity, but Kaiba had finally reached his destination. He raced down the street, stopping the car halfway on top of the sidewalk. As he left the vehicle, he noticed the police wagon parked in front of the building he was looking for.

_Shit_. They'd beaten him. They'd gotten here first.

Well, the fact that the wagon was still there indicated that they still hadn't left yet, and that they hadn't yet arrested him. There was still a chance!

He burst into the apartment complex, and bounded up the stairs up to the third floor. He was only halfway there was a small explosion. It was a gunshot.

_Joey!_

He finished running up the stairs as fast as he could, and ended up completely breathless on the third floor. He immediately recognized the door he was looking for – the one whose lock had taken the form of a gaping hole. He held his breath as he opened it, unsure of what he might find.

On the ground, in the back of the room, there was an immobile body. And behind him…

"JOEY!"

Kaiba traversed the space which separated them, and came to kneel in front of the blond, who himself was curled halfway up the wall.

"You okay? Nothing wrong?" he demanded as he examined him from top to bottom looking for a wound. Everything seemed to be unharmed.

"He… he's dead," Joey breathed, unable to remove his eyes from the body, hand still exaggeratedly contorted around the gun. "I…. killed him. We fought and… I killed him…"

"You didn't have a choice," said Kaiba. "It was either you or him." And he was really happy that it had been him. Ever so slowly, he went to take the weapon from Joey, which he gave to him without resistance. He threw it to the other side of the room.

It wasn't enough to break the blond's trance. He was still staring at the man stretched out on the floor with an empty, practically hypnotized look.

"Joey." Kaiba put his hand on his cheek, forcing him to turn his head. The second his fingers came into contact with the skin, a cold shiver ran through his body. "Joey, you're shaking."

"Oh, that…. that's normal… It's always like that when I end a mission… except for you. For you… it started before…"

Kaiba didn't think, and did the only thing that came to him to do. Without paying the slightest attention to that little voice that it wasn't his style, nor to the shooting pain that his shoulder gave him, he wrapped his arms around Joey and held him close, as tight as possible.

"No, Joey, it's not normal!" Kaiba affirmed in a tone that invited no contradiction. "It's not normal, and it won't happen ever again. I promise you that I'll do anything I can to stop it!"

"…why?"

"Because…." he knew the response. It was so clear in spirit that he asked himself how he couldn't have seen it before. And he didn't _any _damn worthy reason why he couldn't tell the truth. "I love you, Joey."

Tears began to mount in the blond's eyes, who then hid his head in Kaiba's shirt, desperately clinging to the fabric and reducing just a little bit more the distance between their bodies. In the middle of his strangled sobs, some semi-intelligible syllables seemed to detach momentarily, forming what could be something like "love…. too" or something like that.

They stayed there for a long moment, locked against each other in the dark, until Kaiba decided to break the silence.

"Let's go."

Joey acquiesced with a slight nod of the head, and slowly, they got up and left the room, firmly resolved to never set foot inside again.

* * *

Whew, _that's _over with! (Er, excluding epilogue.) Thanks for reading! Just be sure to extend complements to the original author, too. I'll give a shout out to reviewers in the epilogue.

My next translating ( French English ) project is _far _larger, _far _more complex, and _far _longer. It's Apparences (English: "Appearances"), by Melzart! I should start it this coming weekend (not the chapters, just reading it), so don't be expecting _any _time soon. It'll be exciting to have a story that *doesn't* start with a 'T' for once on my profile, lol.

I, again, personally thank supersophieuh for giving me the liberty to botch up all her original nuances in meaning by translating her most successful story. It took up most of my memories of November 2010! (Barring real life, of course).

See you in the epilogue! And if not..._ à la prochaine!* _

~ Mardigny

* P. S.: Means "Until next time" for those without knowledge of French. Supersophieuh says that a lot, so I thought it fitting.


	18. Epilogue

17. Epilogue

It had been a month. A month since things had already gone back to normal. Well, as normal as they_ could _be after everything they had been through… and how 'normal' could you consider waking up every day next to Seto Kaiba?

When they had come back, they hadn't even asked each other. The fact had just happened, self-evident. They didn't want to be separate – they couldn't be. In any case, the bed was big enough for two people, so…

Joey hadn't seen the police again. He never knew exactly what Seto must have done to get rid of them, but he could hazard a guess as to the arguments he might have used.

A little time after they returned, Mokuba and Serenity also came back from Spain. Joey was relieved to see that his sister was fine, and remembered Mokuba's promise to not reveal anything to her. Of course she suspected something, and he would tell her everything once he was ready. Just like how, one day, he would have to give explanations to his friends for having disappeared as he had overnight without leaving the slightest notice.

To lighten his mood, he told himself that it couldn't be worse than the day that he told them that he and Seto – it had taken him time to get used to calling him that – were together, and, icing-on-the-cake, he had moved in with him. Joey couldn't help but smile when he remembered their realization that, no, this wasn't a joke – and yes, they were serious.

Tristan looked at _least _strangled, Tea went off into little hysterical cries and Yugi had stayed silent for a moment, his eyes wide open, before asking very innocently if he was certain that he was not under the control of some magical object. Well, he couldn't _make _them want it. Even he had had trouble believing it at first! And now…

Softly turning his head, he watched his love stretched out beside him, his two arms solidly around his waist. It had become a reflex. Even if he slept in a different position, he always ended up holding him in his sleep, as if stopping him from leaving, as if to avoid waking up, again, in an empty room.

But he didn't have to do that; Joey had no intention of leaving. There was nowhere else on earth he would rather be.

"I love you, Seto," he murmured as he buried back down into the mattress, with the person he had had to kill but for whom he wouldn't hesitate to die.

FIN

* * *

Not a huge fan of any kind of lovey-doveyness, personally, so I had to barge through this both (easily, as it's short). But now it's officially over.

Shout-outs to: **OtEpShAmAyA**, **kluna, ShadowWolfDagger, BeserkerJoe, Xana Vlec **(especially for _finally _getting me to double-check my formatting), **kanberry, deathnoteuser07, AithranKnight, Shock Howlett, **and **piratepenguin666**. And of course, whomever notices this story after the fact!

Now maybe I can work on my _own _stories now... ha~

~ Mardigny


End file.
